Congress MP P. Chidambaram has criticized the 1984 Operation Blue Star, calling it “the wrong way” to handle the Golden Temple situation 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 in the Sikh holy site.
What did Chidambaram say?
Operation Blue Star of June 1984 was a cumulative decision by the military, police, intelligence and civilian services, he said.
He said: “No disrespect to military officers here, but that (Blue Star) was the wrong way to bring back the Golden Temple. A few years later, we showed the right way to bring back the Golden Temple by keeping the army out.”
“Mrs Gandhi (former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) paid for this mistake with her life. It was a cumulative decision of the army, police, intelligence agencies and government departments. You cannot blame it on Mrs Gandhi alone,” 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 ten-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 was aimed at removing Sikh militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who reportedly had stored weapons in the temple complex.
Also read: Operation Blue Star: Physical, psychological scars remain
Bhindranwale, the leader of the radical Sikh group Damdami Taksal, was killed during the operation, along with many of his armed followers. The mission, aimed at clearing militants from the holy site, remains one of the most controversial military actions in the history of independent India.
The operation was heavily criticized. Months later, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi.
Mrs. Gandhi paid for that mistake with her life. It was a cumulative decision by the military, police, intelligence services and civil services.
Beant Singh and Satwant Singh were Indira Gandhi's bodyguards and murdered her in her home on October 31, 1984.
(With input from agencies)
