Elections 2019: A day after the Congress leader Sam Pitorda kicked off a controversy with his remark on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the BJP on Friday sought to make it a issue ahead of the May 12 polls to the city's seven seats. The BJP took to Twitter and attached a video of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the riot victims saying, "Those who say it happened so what? Can they give reply on this? What about the Sikh families who are still living with the unbearable memories of those riots. Did Sonia (Gandhi), Rahul (Gandhi) or Priyanka (Gandhi) ever apologise to the nation for the sponsored riots against Sikhs. The country is demanding answers."

The video starts with the remark of Rajiv Gandhi that "when a big tree falls, then the earth shakes", which was seen as attempt to justify the riots. The video also shows the riot victims recalling the horror of 1984.

The video shared by the BJP also features Congress leaders like Jagdish Tytler, Kamal Nath and H.K.L. Bhagat, who were alleged to have led the mobs. Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a riot case, was also shown.

Besides, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) also sent notice to Pitroda yesterday and directed him to tender an unconditional apology to the Sikh community. The notice, issued on a complaint filed by Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, said that the remarks had hurt the sentiments of of the Sikh community.

It said that the Commission had taken the complaint very seriously and noted that the 1984 riots were a blot in the history of mankind.

Pitroda, who is Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, and a close aide of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, had on Thursday said 1984 "hua to hua" (it just happened) triggering strong criticism from the BJP and the Akali Dal. He apologised for his remarks on Friday.

The anti-Sikh riots broke out in the national capital, and elsewhere in India, after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards on October 31, 1984. They claimed over 3,000 lives in the capital.

(With inputs from IANS)