Prime Minister Narendra Modi today latched on to Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s controversial remark on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and said it was reflective of the arrogance of the grand old party which brought it down to 44 seats in the previous Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a rally in Haryana’s Rohtak, the Prime Minister said, “Such is the arrogance that the leaders of the Congress are filled with. People of the country need to avoid the party and any of its allies. Their arrogance was understood yesterday,” he said referring to Pitroda’s statement.

On Thursday, Pitroda stirred a political storm while responding to the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom and said “whatever has happened has happened (hua to hua)”. PM Modi said that these three words defined the arrogance of the Congress party and its leaders. Slamming the Congress for its years of misrule, the Prime Minister said that while the poor became poorer, corruption increased, middle class faced a tough time, the party which was in the power since last seventy years preferred to look the other way.

Referring to Pitroda’s statement on 1984 riots, Modi also targetted the Congress leadership of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and said that the psyche of the party was on display when a Congress leader said, “Whatever has happened has happened (hua so hua). The leader is close to Gandhi family. While he was a close friend of Rajiv Gandhi, the person his also a guru of current Congress president Rahul Gandhi.”

“They don’t care about lives. In 1984, thousands of Sikh brothers and sisters were killed but now Congress leaders say whatever has happened has happened. Many Sikhs were killed by burning, but the party says whatever has happened has happened. Sikhs had to leave their homes but Congress says whatever has happened has happened,” he added.

Hitting out at the Congress further, the PM said it was just one of the deeds of the grand old party. “Because of this attitude, the Congress got 44 seats in 2014. The party even insulted its talented leaders to help one family grow,” he added.

On Thursday, Pitroda stirred up a controversy when he responded on a question on the BJP’s statement on Nanavati Commission’s report on 1984 riots implicating then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. “I don’t think so, this is also another lie, and what about 1984? You speak about what you have done in five years. It happened in 1984, so what? (1984 hua toh hua). What have you done?”

The remarks have since snowballed into a major controversy with the BJP and the Akali Dal looking to capitalise on the issue through protests. Workers from both parties staged protests in Amritsar, Punjab, outside the Congress headquarters at 24, Akbar Road and Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s residence in Delhi. Both these seats go to polls on Sunday, May 12.