Overview

• Speaking at the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival in Kasauli while moderating a discussion on Harinder Baweja’s book, P. Chidambaram called the Army assault on the Golden Temple the wrong way to secure it.
• He said a later temple retrieval showed a better approach by keeping the Army out and asserted that Indira Gandhi paid the price for the earlier decision with her life.
• Chidambaram emphasized that the call for Operation Blue Star was a cumulative choice involving the Army, police, intelligence and the civil service rather than a unilateral prime ministerial move.
• He argued that separatist calls in Punjab have largely receded today and identified economic distress and migration as the state’s primary challenges.
• Political reactions followed, with JD(U) spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan terming Blue Star a dark chapter and alleging Congress enabled figures like Bhindranwale, while Times Now, citing unnamed Congress sources, reported party displeasure with Chidambaram’s remarks.