Kasauli, Oct 12: Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday termed Operation Blue Star, the June 1984 Army action at the Golden Temple in Amritsar to flush out militants, as “the wrong way” and said that then Prime Minister **Indira Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake.”
The veteran Congress leader, who has served as both Home and Finance Minister, made the remarks while moderating a session on They Will Shoot You, Madam — a book by journalist Harinder Baweja — at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.
Chidambaram’s comments came in response to Baweja’s observation that Indira Gandhi’s decision to order the Army into the Golden Temple eventually led to her assassination later that year.
“No disrespect to any military officers here, but that was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple,” Chidambaram said. “A few years later, we showed the right way — by keeping the Army out. Blue Star was the wrong way, and I agree Mrs Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake.”
However, he clarified that the operation was not solely the Prime Minister’s decision, describing it as a cumulative outcome of inputs from the Army, police, intelligence agencies, and civil service. “You cannot blame it only on Mrs Gandhi. Would you?” he asked Baweja during the exchange.
Turning to present-day Punjab, the senior Congress leader remarked that the real problem today is economic distress, not separatist sentiment. “From my visits to Punjab, I believe the cry for Khalistan or separation has practically died down,” he said. “The real challenge now is the state’s economic situation — most illegal migrants are from Punjab.”
Chidambaram’s remarks reignited discussion on one of India’s most sensitive chapters — the 1984 Operation Blue Star — which continues to shape political and historical narratives four decades later. (Agencies)
