New Delhi: There were reports that the Delhi Assembly on Friday passed a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, conferred upon former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, alleging that he had justified the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom. 

BJP leader Tajinder Bagga, in protest, has put up posters across central Delhi, slamming the Kejriwal government. “Shame on Kejriwal,” read the posters, accusing the AAP of hurting the sentiments of the Sikhs.

An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator on Friday demanded that the "Bharat Ratna" conferred on the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi be taken back as he had allegedly justified the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The demand came in the Delhi Assembly as an amendment proposed to a resolution moved by Tilak Nagar MLA Jarnail Singh.

Also read: Did AAP actually pass a resolution in Delhi Assembly demanding withdrawal of Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna?

"The House urges the Centre to take back India's highest civilian award 'Bharat Ratna' from late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for justifying the 1984 anti-Sikh riots," Singh added after reading out the resolution passed by the House.

Since the resolution had already already been passed by the Assembly, the amendment proposed by Singh could not be passed, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said.

A day after the Delhi Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to revoke Bharat Ratna conferred to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi over 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia clarified that it was not the stand of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

"We are not of the view that Bharat Ratna should be taken back from Rajiv Gandhi," said Sisodia.

"The resolution was distributed both in English and Hindi to all MLAs before it was read by Jarnail Singh. The resolution that was placed on the table of the house or the resolution that was distributed doesn't have any sentence about former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi," clarified AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj.

According to AAP, MLA Somnath Bharti introduced the Rajiv Gandhi line in his own handwriting in the resolution copy that he possessed and passed it to Jarnail Singh who then read it.

Sensing that Jarnail Singh was factually incorrect, Bagga, who was on hunger strike for four days demanding the removal of Kamal Nath (another accused in the 1984 Sikh genocide) from the post of the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, jumped into the fray. Bagga not only called Singh a liar but also accused him of hurting the sentiments of Sikhs.

With agency inputs