P Chidambaram calls Operation Blue Star a ‘mistake’, says Indira Gandhi paid with her life

Senior Congress leader and former Home Minister P Chidambaram on Sunday described Operation Blue Star as a “mistake,” adding that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ultimately paid the price with her life.

Speaking at an event, Chidambaram said:

“No disrespect to any military officers here, but that (Blue Star) was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple. A few years later, we showed the right way to retrieve the Golden Temple by keeping out the Army. Blue Star was the wrong way, and I agree that Mrs Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake.”

Operation Blue Star, ordered by Indira Gandhi in June 1984, aimed to flush out militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. The operation led to heavy casualties and widespread outrage, particularly among Sikhs. Months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, on October 31, 1984, sparking horrific anti-Sikh riots across India.

While acknowledging the operation’s failure, Chidambaram emphasized that the responsibility did not rest solely with Indira Gandhi:

“That mistake was a cumulative decision of the Army, the police, the intelligence, and the civil service. You cannot blame it only on Mrs Gandhi. Would you?”

The former minister made the remarks while participating in a discussion on ‘They Will Shoot You, Madam: My Life Through Conflict’ with author Harinder Baweja.

Chidambaram’s comments mark one of the most direct acknowledgments by a senior Congress leader regarding the mistakes surrounding Operation Blue Star and its aftermath, a topic for which the party has faced long-standing criticism.