In the run-up to the 1962 Indo-China war, India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai speaks to noted historian Ramachandra Guha about the year 1984, which witnessed Operation Bluestar and the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Bhopal gas tragedy. Agreeing with Rajdeep, Ramachandra Guha said that in 1984, in the wake of Operation Bluestar and Indira Gandhi's assassination that later led to the emergence of the Khalistani Movement, the fragility of the Indian state was exposed. Guha says, "Indira Gandhi was responsible because she and Sanjay promoted Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale to undercut the Akalis. Indira Gandhi could have acted in 1982-83 and flushed the Golden Temple free of the 60 to 80 militants inside. This was followed by her assassination, which in turn led to the anti-Sikh riots, for which the Congress party was directly responsible."

Source: India Today August 09, 2017 18:45 UTC