New Delhi, November 10 (newsalert24x7): A sharp political confrontation has broken out between the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) after Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi recounted that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was moved to tears upon seeing the visual destruction caused inside the Golden Temple complex during Operation Blue Star in 1984.

The disclosures feature in Sonia Gandhi’s upcoming memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', scheduled for release on Tuesday, and were previewed in an interview with The Guardian.

"Tears Rolled Down Her Face": Excerpts from the Memoir

According to excerpts from the book and her pre-release interviews, Sonia Gandhi reflected on the heavy emotional aftermath inside the Prime Minister’s household following the June 1984 military operation:

  • The Emotional Shock: When photographs showing the extent of structural damage and devastation inside the Golden Temple complex were presented to Indira Gandhi, "tears rolled down her face."
  • Premonitions of Mortality: Sonia Gandhi recounted that the former Prime Minister was acutely aware of the mortal threat to her life following the assault on the shrine.
  • Preparing the Family: "She told us what to do in case she died—so she knew," Sonia Gandhi shared, revealing that Indira Gandhi instructed a young Rahul Gandhi to stay brave and not shed tears. She also noted that an earlier family trip to Kashmir that summer felt like a quiet attempt by the late Prime Minister to say goodbye.

Indira Gandhi was assassinated months later, on October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards at her official residence in New Delhi, triggering widespread anti-Sikh violence across the country.

Akali Dal Hits Back: 'Speak to the Families Who Lost Everything'

The disclosures drew immediate, scathing condemnation from the Shiromani Akali Dal, which rejected the expression of personal anguish as an attempt to rewrite the gravity of the military assault on Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs.

Reacting sharply, SAD spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler stated that the trauma inflicted by Operation Blue Star remains an unhealed wound across generations:

"The pain inflicted by the operation would remain in the hearts of Sikhs for generations. The Congress committed genocide against Sikhs, and innocent Sikhs were murdered," Kler alleged.

Challenging the Congress top brass to face the victims directly, Kler added that senior leaders should visit the families whose relatives were killed and homes burnt during the 1984 violence to grasp the true extent of the community's suffering, rather than offering retrospective personal reflections.

Congress Defends Legacy: 'Never Justified the Operation'

In response to the opposition's offensive, senior Congress leader and Punjab working president Raj Kumar Verka defended the party's record and historical stance:

  • Standing with Punjab: Verka stated that the party has never justified Operation Blue Star and has consistently stood alongside the people of Punjab.
  • Shrine Visits: He cited previous visits by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar to pay obeisance and seek blessings as evidence of their deep reverence for the Sikh community and its spiritual institutions.

The exchange comes as political circles brace for further debate surrounding the book's release, touching upon one of the most volatile and consequential chapters in modern Indian political history.

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