Indira Gandhi paid with her life for Operation Blue Star, says P. Chidambaram

Kasauli (The Uttam Hindu): Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has described the 1984 Operation Blue Star as a "big mistake," for which then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi paid with her life. He made this statement while addressing a session at the prestigious Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.

The senior Congress leader said, "I believe another way could have been found to capture and remove the terrorists from the Golden Temple. Operation Blue Star was a wrong approach. I think Mrs. (Indira) Gandhi paid the price for that mistake with her life." However, he refused to hold Indira Gandhi solely responsible for the decision. Chidambaram clarified, "But the mistake was a joint decision by the army, police, intelligence, and civil service. You can't blame Mrs. Gandhi alone for it."

The former Home Minister insisted that the army should have been kept out of the operation to recapture the Golden Temple. He said, "No disrespect to any military officer, but Operation Blue Star was the wrong way to recapture the Golden Temple. A few years later, we showed the right way to reclaim the Golden Temple by keeping the army out."

During the conversation, Chidambaram also expressed his views on the current situation in Punjab. He said that the slogan of Khalistan or separatism has now virtually ended in Punjab, and the real problem of the state is its poor economic condition. He said, "My visits to Punjab have convinced me that the political slogan of Khalistan and separatism has almost ended, and the real problem is the economic situation here."

This statement of Chidambaram has once again sparked a new debate on 'Operation Blue Star', one of the most controversial chapters of the country's politics.