Pitroda apologises for remark on 1984 anti-Sikh riots

Shimla: Congress leader Sam Pitroda, who had courted controversy for his remark in connection with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, apologised on Friday for his comment, saying his statement was taken out of context as his Hindi was not good.

On Thursday, Indian Oversees Congress  chief Pitroda had brushed off the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by saying, "hua toh hua" (it just happened).

"The statement I made was completely twisted and taken out of context because my Hindi isn't good. What I meant was 'jo hua woh bura hua' (what happened was bad), but I could not translate 'bura' (bad) in my mind," Pitroda told reporters here on Friday.

Pitroda's apology came after BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Sikh organisations flayed his for his comment.

"Yesterday, one of the top Congress leaders said the 1984 riots 'hua toh hua'. These three words sum up the arrogance of the Congress," Modi said at election rallies in Rohtak in Haryana and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.