Congress leader P. Chidambaram recently discussed Operation Blue Star, a pivotal chapter in India’s history, during the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival 2025. He characterized the military operation, conducted in June 1984 to reclaim the Golden Temple in Amritsar, as “the wrong way” to address the situation. Chidambaram emphasized that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi “paid with her life” for the decision to execute the operation, which fell under a collective agreement involving the Army, police, intelligence, and civil services.
In contrast, he highlighted Operation Black Thunder, which occurred a few years later, praising it as a more suitable approach that avoided military involvement in the sacred shrine. “No disrespect to any military officers here, but that (Blue Star) was the wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple,” he stated. Chidambaram clarified that the decision cannot be placed solely on Indira Gandhi, attributing it to a broader consensus among various governmental entities.
Operation Blue Star aimed to remove militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who had allegedly stockpiled weapons inside the temple complex. The operation resulted in the deaths of Bhindranwale and several of his followers. Following this event, Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, by her Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh.
