Overview
- Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan attended an Operation Blue Star commemoration at Damdami Taksal and on June 6 called the 1984 Army action a "black day," saying those killed were "martyrs."
- The Congress and allied parties have formally demanded Mahajan be removed from the Maharashtra cabinet and expelled from the BJP for what they call an insult to the Indian Army and glorification of separatists.
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has defended Mahajan and said the minister's full remarks should be read in context, pointing to the 1984 anti‑Sikh riots as part of that context.
- Senior figures across parties, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, criticised Mahajan’s comments while opposition leaders in Punjab warned the episode risks reviving sectarian tensions ahead of upcoming contests.
- Operation Blue Star was a June 1984 Army operation at the Golden Temple to flush out armed militants and its legacy — including the subsequent assassination of Indira Gandhi and the 1984 anti‑Sikh violence — remains a deeply sensitive fault line in Indian politics.