BJP Reacts Strongly To 1984 Anti-Sikhs Riots Accused Jagdish Tytler Part Of Congress Election Committee For Delhi MCD Polls

The All India Congress Committee on Thursday released the list of members for the Pradesh Election Community of the 2022 Delhi Municipal Corporation Polls (MCD), which includes Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, an accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reacted strongly to the move.

Jagdish Tytler, a former MP and former Union Minister, has been named in the committee that will decide on candidates for the December 4 municipal election in Delhi. Along with Tytler, there are altogether 20 members on this committee, including senior leaders Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dixit and Udit Raj. The Delhi Congress will release the first list of 125 candidates for the municipal polls in the next 48 hours.

Tytler is the second top Congress leader suspected for his role in 1984 riots after Sajjan Kumar, who stands convicted for life and is serving jail time for his involvement in the riots. In the Tytler case, the CBI had filed three closure reports in 2007, 2009 and 2014. But Delhi’s Karkardooma courts rejected the CBI closure report on December 4, 2015, on the protest petition by Lakhwinder Kaur, who lost her husband in the Gurdrawa Pul Bangash attack. The court asked the CBI to continue its probe.

Only brickbats, no bouquets

Tytler’s appointment has raised eyebrows and is being severely criticised by the BJP. The incumbent party’s Delhi spokesperson RP Singh immediately took to Twitter.

A senior leader of Congress, Tytler has served as a Union Minister in the past. However, he has faced a barrage of accusations for the last three decades for his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. While the Nanavati Commission hinted at his role in the riots, successive Congress governments did not show the inclination to press charges against him. In fact, he was even inducted as a minister after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) came to power at the Centre. 
•    On November 1, BJP national spokesperson RP Singh wrote to the Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting him to establish a 'Truth Commission' to expose the conspiracy behind the Sikh pogrom. In his letter to Shah, Singh wrote, “full justice is not yet delivered. Many more like Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath are still roaming scot-free.”
•    Amid a change of guard in Congress in October, the BJP accused the party of continuing its policy of patronising 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler. Taking to Twitter, Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga claimed that Tytler was present at the AICC headquarters in the national capital when Mallikarjun Kharge took over as the Congress president. 

Congress invited Killers of Sikhs Jagdish Tytler as Special guest in oath ceremony of Mallikarjun Khadge. Congress and Sonia Gandhi love for Killers of Sikhs proved once again pic.twitter.com/iRhhgeNrV7

•    Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in August filed a police complaint against Karamjit Singh Gill, a Congress worker, for wearing a T-shirt with the image of Jagdish Tytler to Amritsar’s Golden Temple. 
•    Earlier this year, when Tytler visited Sonia Gandhi at her residence, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the move and alleged that the Congress party has always patronised rioters. 
•    Sonia Gandhi in October 2021 appointed Tytler as one of the 37 permanent invitees to the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee. Navjot Kaur, who is Punjab Congress leader and wife of the state president, said she was angry at the move.
•    A Delhi court in August 2020, following a letter from the prime witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case Abhishek Verma about the threat to his life, ordered security cover for a month against Tytler.
•    In January 2019, Congress faced a lot of criticism for giving a front-row seat to Tytler during the ceremony of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit taking over as the Delhi Congress chief.