The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has targeted the Congress leadership in Punjab over remarks attributed to Sonia Gandhi in her recently released memoir concerning the deployment of Army personnel in Delhi during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.In a statement, the SAD questioned Punjab Congress leaders, including Sikh leaders, over their silence on the issue and demanded that they seek an explanation from Sonia Gandhi regarding the decision of her late husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi not to deploy Army units comprising Sikh personnel in Delhi.“Her admission that Rajiv Gandhi purposely and personally decided not to deploy Army units in Delhi because they included Sikh personnel finally provides the clinching evidence of Congress government patronage of the anti-Sikh massacre,” said SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal.Badal alleged that the remarks provided evidence of the Congress government’s complicity in the violence, in which thousands of Sikhs were killed following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.Drawing a comparison with Operation Bluestar, the SAD questioned how the Congress government could deploy a Sikh Army General to lead the military operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib in June 1984, but allegedly refrain from deploying Sikh Army personnel to protect the Sikh community during the subsequent violence.Badal asked whether Punjab Congress leaders endorsed the reported decision and whether they would demand an explanation from Sonia Gandhi over the circumstances in which the Army’s deployment was handled in Delhi.The SAD also accused Congress leaders of maintaining silence on an issue involving the victims of the 1984 violence and said they should publicly clarify their position.The book traces Sonia Gandhi’s journey from her childhood in Italy to becoming one of the most influential political figures in India. It offers a personal account of her marriage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, her entry into the Nehru-Gandhi family, the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and her eventual entry into active politics.The memoir also recounts her years at the helm of the Congress, the party’s return to power in 2004 and her decision to decline the post of Prime Minister despite the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) securing a majority.The memoir provides Gandhi’s perspective on her personal and political journey spanning several decades, besides offering an account of major political developments witnessed by the country.Congress leaders in Punjab must break their criminal silence on the clean chit given by Sonia Gandhi to the killers of thousands of innocent Sikhs in 1984.Her admission that Rajiv Gandhi purposely and personally decided not to deploy Army units in Delhi because they included Sikh personnel finally provides the clinching evidence of Congress govt patronage of the anti-Sikh massacre.The Congress govt could send a Sikh General to lead Operation Blue Star on Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib and Sri Akal Takht Sahib, but would not deploy Sikh Army personnel to protect innocent Sikhs in 1984?Do Punjab Congress leaders, including Sikh leaders, endorse this decision to leave innocent Sikhs at the mercy of marauding killers belonging to the Congress party and the government headed by Rajiv Gandhi?Will they ask Sonia Gandhi to explain why Rajiv Gandhi chose to stop the army deployment to save the lives of innocent Sikhs?Cowardly silence won’t do.@INCIndia @INCPunjab— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) November 11, 2026