Sonia Gandhi's Blue Star Remark Sparks Akali Dal Rowਸੋਨੀਆ ਗਾਂਧੀ ਦੇ ਬਲੂ ਸਟਾਰ ਵਾਲੇ ਬੋਲਾਂ ’ਤੇ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਨਾਰਾਜ਼

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has said her mother-in-law, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, wept when she was shown images of the devastation during Operation Blue Star, the 1984 military operation inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. The account appears in Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, which is to be released on Tuesday, November 10, and in an interview she gave to The Guardian ahead of the release. The remarks have set off a fresh political row in Punjab, with the Shiromani Akali Dal accusing the Congress of trying to soften its role in 1984, and Congress leaders insisting the party has never justified the operation.

What did Sonia Gandhi say?

In the Guardian interview, Sonia Gandhi recalled that when Indira Gandhi was shown images of the destruction inside the Golden Temple complex, tears rolled down her face. She said Indira Gandhi received threats to her life after the operation and began preparing for the possibility that she would be killed. According to the account, she told her family what to do in case she died, and told her son Rahul that he must be brave and not cry. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984, months after the operation.

The memoir also revisits other defining moments, including the Emergency of 1975, which Sonia Gandhi called a mistake, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, which she said moved her to tears. The book is her first full memoir and covers her life from her early years in Italy through her decades in Indian politics.

How did the Akali Dal respond?

Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler reacted sharply, saying the operation was a direct attack on the Sikh community and on Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs. He alleged the operation was carried out as part of a conspiracy and said the pain of the incident would remain in the hearts of Sikhs for generations.

Drawing a parallel with the anti-Sikh violence of 1984, Kler said the Congress had committed genocide against Sikhs and innocent Sikhs were murdered, and asked the party leadership to speak to families who lost loved ones and saw their homes burnt down. His words were his own characterisation of the events, and the Congress rejects that description.

What did Congress say in reply?

Defending the party, Congress working president Raj Kumar Verka said Congress had never justified Operation Blue Star and stood with Punjab and its people. He pointed to visits by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to the Golden Temple, saying both leaders had offered prayers at the shrine.

The exchange has once again brought the legacy of Operation Blue Star and the 1984 anti-Sikh violence into Punjab's political discourse, more than four decades after the events. With Punjab assembly elections due in 2027, the episode is likely to feature in the political debate in the state in the months ahead.

What did Sonia Gandhi say about Operation Blue Star?

She said Indira Gandhi wept when shown images of the devastation inside the Golden Temple complex during the 1984 operation, in her memoir Belonging: A Journey of Love.

When is Sonia Gandhi's memoir being released?

Belonging: A Journey of Love is to be released on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

How did the Akali Dal react?

Akali Dal spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler called the operation a direct attack on the Sikh community and Akal Takht, and said the pain of 1984 would remain for generations.

What was Operation Blue Star?

It was the June 1984 military operation inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, ordered by then prime minister Indira Gandhi.