1984 tragedy to Shah Bano: Ghost of cases linked to former PM Rajiv Gandhi that haunts Congress till today

Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 28 years ago. Since his death until today, there are some controversial cases linked to the former PM. It has been 28 years but still, the ghost of these cases still comes to haunt Congress party and its leaders. In the five year tenure of BJP-led NDA government, Rajiv Gandhi and cases linked to him were dug out by the rival. It was as ‘corrupt no1’.

On the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, here are five cases that still scare Congress and Gandhi, especially during elections:

1. 1984 Anti-Sikh riots statement - 'When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.'

After former PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, a statement from Rajiv Gandhi came in which he said, "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes." This statement of Rajiv Gandhi remained united with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He is considered responsible for the death of thousands of Sikhs.

2. Shah Bano case: Criticized for overturning the court's decision

Shahbano case was the most controversial case related to Rajiv Gandhi. It is alleged that he reversed the court's decision to please the Muslim vote bank. A lawyer from Indore divorced his wife Shah Bano after 43 years of his life. He threw her out of the house with five children. Shah Bano demanded alimony from his husband every month. The High Court ruled in favor of Shah Bano but Shah Bano's husband challenged the verdict in the Supreme Court.

In order to please Muslim men, Rajiv Gandhi introduced the Muslim Women's Bill in 1986 which became law after all. According to the law, after getting a divorce, a Muslim woman will get alimony for only three months. This law became the biggest disaster for Rajiv Gandhi's tenure.

3. December 3: Bhopal Gas tragedy: Escorting prime accused Anderson

The Bhopal gas tragedy happened in 1984. around a month before the incident, Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of the country. Of the factory which had a gas leak, its owner was Warren Anderson. Anderson came to Bhopal after the accident. The people of Bhopal were angry following which Warren Anderson had to run away from Bhopal. He went to Rajiv Gandhi for help.

The Bhopal administration told Rajiv Gandhi that they can not protect Anderson. On the directive of Rajiv, Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao gave a clear direction to the Arjun Singh government after that Anderson was safely released. The then collector Moti Singh has also written the truth about Anderson's release of Bhopal gas tragedy. He was also booked for the abduction of the accused.

4. Bofors scam: This a case that still haunts Congress

In 1986, India had a deal with Swedish company AB Bofors. The price of the deal was Rs 1437 crores. Under the deal, the Indian Army had to get 400 Hovitzer guns. But Sweden Radio questioned the deal and claimed that the Swedish company gave a bribe of 60 crores to the big leaders and officials of India. This caused a storm in political corridors. Rajiv Gandhi had to lose his Prime Minister chair in 1989. After this allegation, Vishwanath Pratap Singh too attacked Rajiv. The same Bofors scam still comes to scare Congress and Gandhis.

5. Ram Mandir: Rajiv Gandhi started the election campaign

Rajiv Gandhi’s image became bleak after the Shah Bano case. Muslim women were angry with him and 1989 elections were approaching. Then Rajiv Gandhi opened the temple lock to please the Hindu community. That's where he started his election campaign. After this, Rajiv Gandhi was seen as the leader of the vote bank politics. The BJP got the credit for the temple issue.

Also read: Sonia Gandhi wanted to have this senior leader as PM after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, not