Nayab Singh Saini said the party could have chosen any other day of the year, but its decision to hold the rally on November 1 raised serious questions.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. (File Photo- ITG)
Chandigarh,Oct 24, 2026 21:55 IST
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Saturday criticised the Congress over the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally against the special intensive revision of electoral rolls, questioning its decision to hold the event on a date associated with painful memories for the Sikh community, news agency PTI reported.
Saini said the party could have chosen any other day of the year, but its decision to hold the rally on November 1 raised serious questions. Anti-Sikh riots broke out in Delhi and other parts of the country after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.
"Our concern for the victims of 1984 is not a matter of politics, but of compassion and duty. Standing with the victims is not a favour; it is our moral responsibility," Saini said.
The Congress-led INDIA bloc's rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan has been described as the culmination of the 'Delhi Chalo' march against alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Election Commission and the special intensive revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls.
The Congress has said at least 10 lakh people are expected to march against "vote chori", or vote theft. It said the protest would send a strong message of unity in protecting democracy and the Constitution.
Saini said the victims' hopes of securing justice were strengthened only after a special investigation team was formed in 2015 and closed files were reopened.
He said the 1984 violence had also left deep scars in Haryana, where 121 people were killed and 20 gurdwaras, 221 houses, 154 shops and 57 factories were set on fire.
Saini said the Haryana government, recognising its responsibility towards the victims, decided in the legislative assembly to provide government jobs to members of the 121 affected families so that they could move forward with dignity.
He also said the SIR of electoral rolls was not a new process, noting that intensive revision exercises had been conducted in several years since Independence, including during periods when the Congress was in power.
Saini's remarks focused on the choice of November 1 for the INDIA bloc's rally, the impact of the 1984 violence on Haryana and his argument that intensive revisions of electoral rolls have been carried out under previous governments as well.
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