New Delhi, Nov 12
Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda has said that there is little point in repeatedly discussing past events, stressing that the focus should instead be on building a "prosperous nation" rather than dwelling on "what happened in Ram's time".
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Pitroda spoke about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and said the country should move forward and concentrate on creating a better, more peaceful and prosperous future for everyone, rather than thinking about the history or what happened in "Ram's time", referring to Lord Ram.
"That was more than 40 years ago. And this has been going on and digging, and people just do this. Let's look at the future. Let's move on. Let's design a better, prosperous, peaceful nation for everybody. That should be the agenda. Not what happened in Ram's time, or why did Hanuman go here, why did he lift the mountain?" Pitroda told IANS.
He was asked whether Congress should be held accountable for the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. The riots, also described by several Sikh organisations and international bodies as a Sikh genocide, involved a series of coordinated attacks against members of the Sikh community across India.
The violence erupted following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by her two Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. The assassination came months after the military operation at the Golden Temple in June 1984, known as Operation Blue Star.
Responding to the question, Pitroda questioned the relevance of repeatedly revisiting an incident that took place more than four decades ago. He said that the matter had already been discussed extensively and that the courts and other relevant authorities should be allowed to make decisions on it.
"What is the sense in talking about something that happened 40 years ago now? I have said many times there has been so much conversation on it. You know, let the, you know, people in court and others decide; it was decided 40 years ago. Everything is ok; why do we just dig things up from nowhere and throw mud? I don't understand our attitude. What does that have to do with today? How long can you go on with this? You know, you've got to look at the future," Pitroda said.
The Congress leader further questioned why discussions continued to revolve around historical events when the country was facing challenges concerning the future of younger generations. He said greater attention should be given to children's education, employment opportunities and skill development instead of remaining preoccupied with the past.
"What kind of question is that? But people do these things. It makes very little sense today to talk a lot about the past. We are still hung up on the past. We've got to look forward. We've got to see the future of our children, our grandchildren, their education, their employment, their jobs in a sense, their skill set. That is the real challenge," he added.
Pitroda also said that the younger generation should be more interested in knowing about artificial intelligence (AI), education issues and the challenges that lie ahead.
