Punjab BJP state president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Saturday lashed out at the Congress over the INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi on November 1, describing the move as deeply insensitive and hurtful to the sentiments of the Sikh community.Dhillon said November 1 is no ordinary date for Sikhs but a day of mourning and remembrance.“During the anti-Sikh violence of 1984, Sikhs were selectively targeted and killed in the streets of Delhi, gurdwaras were set ablaze, and countless families were left devastated. Thousands of Sikhs lost their lives in Delhi and other parts of the country, leaving behind grieving mothers, widows and families whose suffering continues to this day,” Dhillon said.Dhillon alleged that the Congress had a deeply troubling record on Sikh issues, citing “the attack on Darbar Sahib, the damage inflicted on Sri Akal Takht Sahib and the anti-Sikh violence of November 1984 in Delhi and other cities”.He said that holding a “political rally” on November 1 was particularly insensitive to the pain and memories of the Sikh community.Anti-Sikh riots erupted across Delhi and other parts of the country following the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.The INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan has been described as the culmination of the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march against alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.The Congress has asserted that at least 10 lakh people are expected to march against “vote chori”, saying this will send a strong message of “unity” in protecting democracy and the Constitution.Dhillon stated that it took nearly four decades for many victims of anti-Sikh riots in 1984 and their families to see meaningful progress towards justice.He credited the BJP-led government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi with taking steps to pursue justice for the victims.Taking a swipe at Congress’s slogan, “Vote Bachao-Desh Bachao”, Dhillon alleged, “How can a party bearing the stain of the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre claim to be the champion of democracy?” He demanded that the Congress and Rahul Gandhi publicly apologise to the Sikh community for the 1984 massacre and reconsider the decision to hold the rally on a day of mourning.He also challenged the Congress to clarify whether it stands with the victims and their families or with those accused of involvement in the violence and those alleged to have shielded them.Dhillon said, “The Sikh community has neither forgotten nor will it ever forget the horrors of 1984. BJP stood with the affected families in the past, stands with them today, and will continue to stand with them in the future.”