"Apologise For 1984" Placard In Haryana Assembly Exposes Congress Cracks Ahead of Punjab Polls

The 1984 anti-Sikh violence has returned to the political centrestage, with a placard row in the Haryana Assembly giving the BJP fresh ammunition to target the Congress ahead of the elections due in neighbouring Punjab early next year.

During Thursday's proceedings, Congress MLA from Ratia and a prominent Sikh face, Jarnail Singh, held up a placard demanding an apology over the 1984 anti-Sikh violence. The placard was allegedly snatched, torn and thrown away by Baroda MLA Induraj Narwal, a Congress legislator considered close to former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son Deepender Singh Hooda.

A video of the incident has since been widely circulated by BJP social media handles and various party wings, turning the confrontation into a fresh political flashpoint.

Today in the Haryana Assembly, Congress MLA Sardar Jarnail Singh, a Dalit and Sikh representative from Ratia, held a placard demanding an apology over the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.Baroda MLA Induraj Narwal, described as a close associate of Bhupinder Hooda and Deepender Hooda,… pic.twitter.com/LoW6BmYN86

The timing is particularly significant. The latest controversy comes days after Deepender Hooda's remarks praising 1984 violence convict Sajjan Kumar upon his death recently, and a subsequent apology as leaders from Sikh-majority Punjab apparently took offence. The BJP has been aggressively targeting the Congress in Punjab over the 1984 riots, with the issue featuring prominently in its outreach to Sikh voters.

The incident also carries an added political layer, given Jarnail Singh's own position within the Congress. The Ratia MLA was suspended by the party for allegedly cross-voting in the Haryana Rajya Sabha elections in March this year.

A veteran politician and a Dalit-Sikh representative from a Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency, Jarnail Singh has contested six elections from the seat. He first won in 2000 on an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) ticket before moving to the Congress and winning the 2011 bypoll. Having faced defeats in 2009, 2014 and 2019, he returned to the Vidhan Sabha in the October 2024 elections by defeating BJP leader Sunita Duggal.

For the Congress, the incident risks reopening questions over its handling of the 1984 issue in the run-up to the Punjab polls.

For the BJP, the visuals offer a potent political narrative. Even as the Congress faces pressure to apologise over 1984, a Congress MLA holding a placard seeking an apology was allegedly stopped by another Congress legislator inside the Haryana Assembly.