Operation Blue Star Was The Wrong Way To Retrieve Golden Temple, Says P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram has described Operation Blue Star as a “wrong way” to retrieve the Golden Temple, adding that the decision ultimately cost former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi her life.

Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli while moderating a discussion on journalist Harinder Baweja’s book They Will Shoot You, Madam, Chidambaram said, “No disrespect to any military officers present here but that 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.”

A collective decision

Chidambaram said that the operation, which aimed to flush out militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984, was a collective decision of the Army, police, intelligence, and civil service, and cannot be solely blamed on Mrs. Gandhi.

“I agree that Mrs. Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake. But that mistake was a cumulative decision of the Army, the police, the intelligence, and the civil service. You cannot blame it only on Mrs. Gandhi,” he added.

Operation Blue Star: A dark chapter in India’s political history

Operation Blue Star, conducted from June 1 to 8, 1984, involved heavy military action including tanks and artillery to remove Bhindranwale and his followers who had fortified themselves inside the Akal Takht and other parts of the Golden Temple complex. The operation resulted in hundreds of deaths, including militants, soldiers, and civilians, and left the Akal Takht in ruins, triggering widespread anger and resentment in the Sikh community.

Following the operation, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, leading to anti-Sikh riots in which government estimates suggest over 3,000 Sikhs were killed in Delhi and elsewhere.

Commenting on contemporary Punjab, Chidambaram observed that calls for Khalistan have largely faded, with economic distress now being the state’s pressing issue. He said, “My visits to Punjab have led me to believe that the cry for Khalistan or separation has practically died down. The real problem is the economic situation. Most illegal migrants are from Punjab.”

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