Congress MP P. Chidambaram has criticised the 1984 Operation Blue Star, calling it “the wrong way” to handle the situation at the Golden Temple and stating that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi paid with her life for that “mistake.”
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Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival 2025, the former Union Home and Finance Minister said Operation Black Thunder was a better example of how to deal with the crisis, as it succeeded without involving the Army inside the Sikh holy site.
What did Chidambaram say?
The June 1984 Operation Blue Star was a cumulative decision of the Army, the police, the intelligence and the civil services, he said.
He said, “No disrespect to any military officers here, but that (Blue Star) was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple. A few years later, we showed the right way to retrieve the Golden Temple by keeping out the Army.”
“Mrs Gandhi (former PM Indira Gandhi) paid with her life for that mistake. It was a cumulative decision of the Army, Police, intelligence and the civil services. You cannot blame it only on Mrs Gandhi,” the former Union Minister said.
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Chidambaram was addressing a gathering during a discussion on the ‘They Will Shoot You, Madam: My life through conflict’ with author Harinder Baweja.
What was Operation Blue Star?
Operation Blue Star was a 10-day military offensive carried out by the Indian Army from June 1 to June 10, 1984.
On June 6, the army entered the Golden Temple in Amritsar on the orders of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The operation aimed to remove Sikh militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who had reportedly stockpiled weapons inside the temple complex.
Bhindranwale, the leader of the radical Sikh group Damdami Taksal, was killed during the operation along with many of his armed followers. The mission, intended to flush out militants from the sacred site, remains one of the most controversial military actions in independent India’s history.
The Operation was heavily criticised. Months later, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her New Delhi residence on October 31, 1984.
Mrs Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake. It was a cumulative decision of the Army, Police, intelligence and the civil services.
Beant Singh and Satwant Singh were Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards and killed her on October 31, 1984, at her residence.
(With inputs from agencies)
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