BHARAT BALLOT 09: THE GHOST OF THE 1984 RIOTS HAUNTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000773 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM PREL IN SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 09: THE GHOST OF THE 1984 RIOTS HAUNTS CONGRESS PARTY, FORCES IT TO DUMP TYTLER AND SAJJAN KUMMAR REF: A) New Delhi 676; B) New Delhi 567; C) 05 New Delhi 6310 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Congress Party on April 9 withdrew the nominations of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar as candidates in the April-May Lok Sabha elections in response to outrage by Sikh activists that the candidates would not have to answer for their alleged roles in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Anger has simmered since both leaders' nominations were announced in March (Ref. B). Tensions, however, reached a boiling point two weeks ago when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) issued a clean chit to Tytler, leading to protests throughout Punjab and Delhi. The frustration and anger at the apparent impunity of the two candidates was encapsulated in a "shoe hurling" incident on April 7, when a Sikh journalist hurled his shoe at Home Minister P. Chidambramam and garnered media attention nationwide. The Congress Party was blind-sided by the strident opposition to the Tytler-Kumar nominations, and the party was forced to cut its losses by withdrawing the leaders' nominations. The firestorm over Tytler and Kumar reaffirms that Congress' role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots will continue to haunt the party. End Summary. CONGRESS GETS ELECTORAL JITTERS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) To contain the electoral damage in states with a sizeable Sikh constituency -- such as Punjab, Haryana and Delhi -- the Congress decided to remove controversial leaders Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar from contesting the Lok Sabha elections on April 9. Both had been elected to the previous parliament and Tytler has served as a Minister in past governments. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - a Sikh from Punjab - told press the decision was "better late than never," and that it represented the Congress Party's deep respect for the "sentiments of the Sikhs." Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi noted that both Tytler and Kumar decided to withdraw from elections as they did not wish to "further embarrass" the party. Political pundits say that both leaders were directed to leave by Congress leadership amid growing outrage over their apparent immunity from prosecution (Ref. A). PROTESTS ALARM CONGRESS -------------- ¶3. (U) On April 3, large-scale protests erupted in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, and Jammu after the CBI cleared Tytler of his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Sikh protesters across the country gathered outside of Congress Party offices, burning effigies and demanding Tytler be punished. Public outrage over the ruling reached a tipping point on April 7 when Jarnail Singh, a Sikh journalist, hurled a shoe at Home Minister P. Chidambaram during a press conference on the Tytler case. Jarnail said he was frustrated by the Congress Party's inaction against those involved in the 1984 riots. The "shoe hurling" incident was played in continuous loop by Indian TV outlets throughout the week, intensifying public pressure on the Congress Party to withdraw both leaders' nominations from fast-approaching Lok Sabha elections. OPPOSITION PARTIES SIEZE THE ISSUE -------------- ¶4. (U) The Shromani Akali Dal (SAD),the main protagonist of the Congress Party in Punjab and the senior partner of the ruling SAD-BJP government in the state, received a political windfall from the CBI's "clean chit" and the seemingly spontaneous public protests at Congress Party after the shoe-throwing incident. It seized the opportunity to blast the Congress Party and accuse it of being anti-Sikh. SAD leaders charged the Congress party of honoring Tytler and Kumar by giving them parliamentary tickets and then protecting them instead of prosecuting them so they could be sent to jail. It accused the Congress of "yet again hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs." Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab and SAD President, dismissed the Congress' withdrawal of Tytler-Kumar tickets, saying it does not "put balm on the wounds of Sikhs." He NEW DELHI 00000773 002 OF 002 ridiculed the Prime Minister for not being consulted by the party before Tytler and Kumar were nominated for the parliamentary seats and then again by the CBI before it exonerated Tyler. He promised the establishment of fast track courts for expedited trials if the National Democratic Alliance -- led by SAD's state coalition partner, the BJP -- returned to power. ¶5. (U) Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal suggested that Tytler and Sajjan may be blackmailing the Congress leadership ("might be aware of some weak point") in explaining why they had been offered seats again. Some disgruntled Congress party leaders in the state used the controversy as an excuse to leave the party. The BJP, which has consistently been a strong critic of the Congress Party on its role in the 1984 riots, had demanded the withdrawal of tickets to Tytler and Kumar. Senior BJP leader Balbir Punj condemned the shoe throwing incident, but added it "should act like an eye opener for Congress because it shows as to what extent the Sikh community is angry over the gross injustice handed over to them for the last 25 years...while more than 4,000 people were killed only 12 odd persons have been booked while all the big fish have been let off". ¶6. (SBU) In response, Congress representatives have accused the media of "sensationalizing" the story. They also claimed that the BJP and the SAD have attempted to spin the Tytler-Kumar nominations to their electoral advantage ahead of April-May polls. They continue to argue that Tytler and Kumar have never been found guilty in court. Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal chose to focus on the shoe throwing journalist, saying "if journalists take upon themselves and express their political inclinations in this form, I can say that journalists are themselves not performing the duties that they are supposed to perform". COMMENT: CONGRESS WOBBLED -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The Congress Party was completely blind-sided by the latest furor over Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar. After the shoe-throwing incident, as angry protests broke out throughout Punjab and in Delhi, the Congress seemed stunned and immobilized. Party officials ran for cover, no one daring to say anything of substance because Sonia Gandhi was out of town for several days touring southern India and there was no one at home to make a decision. As the protests gathered steam, Sonia returned to Delhi, and it became clear that controversy had the potential to damage the party's prospects in up to two dozen seats in northern India, the party dumped the two loyalists. Despite the about face by the Congress, it is clear that the controversy will cost the party some votes in a handful of constituencies. It is hard to predict whether these losses will be enough to tip the results there. ¶8. (SBU) In nominating the Tytler and Kumar for party tickets in March, Congress Party strategists may be excused for thinking that the public had forgotten about the role of these two party stalwarts in 1984 because they had both repeatedly contested and won parliamentary elections on the Congress ticket. Tytler had even served in Manmohan Singh's cabinet (until 2005 when he was forced to resign after the Nanavati Commission found "credible evidence" that Tytler had a hand in organizing attacks against Sikhs in 1984 -- ref E). These strategists failed, however, to grasp the Sikh community's pain and anguish from the 1984 riots, the role of Tytler and Kumar, and the responsibility of the Congress Party. While the latest act in the 25-year old Tytler-Kumar saga has stung the Congress Party and forced it to do damage control ahead of the coming election, it is still not clear whether the party understands the full gravity of how the ghost of the 1984 riots will continue to haunt the party. End Comment. BURLEIGH