Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday said that Operation Blue Star, the 1984 Army operation at Amritsar&rsquo;s Golden Temple to flush out militants, was &ldquo;the wrong way&rdquo; to handle the situation and that then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake.&rdquo;
The senior Congress leader made the remarks while moderating a discussion on &lsquo;They Will Shoot You, Madam&rsquo;, a book by journalist Harinder Baweja, during the Khushwant Singh Literature Festival held in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh.
Chidambaram was responding to Baweja&rsquo;s observation that Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s assassination later that year was a direct consequence of her decision to approve Operation Blue Star.
Addressing the audience, Chidambaram said,&nbsp;&ldquo;No disrespect to any military officers here, but that was a wrong way to retrieve the Golden Temple. A few years later, we showed the right way to retrieve the Golden Temple by keeping out the Army&hellip; Blue Star was the wrong way, and I agree that Mrs Gandhi paid with her life for that mistake.&rdquo;
However, he clarified that the decision could not be attributed solely to Indira Gandhi.&nbsp;&ldquo;It was a cumulative decision &mdash; taken by the Army, the police, the intelligence, and the civil service. You cannot blame it only on Mrs Gandhi. Would you?&rdquo; he asked Baweja.
During the discussion, Chidambaram also touched upon the current situation in Punjab, saying that the demand for Khalistan and separatist sentiments had largely faded, but that economic distress remained a major concern.&nbsp;&ldquo;My visits to Punjab have led me to believe that the political cry of Khalistan and separation has practically died down. The real problem is the economic situation&hellip; most illegal migrants are from Punjab,&rdquo; he said.
Operation Blue Star, carried out in June 1984, remains one of the most controversial military actions in India&rsquo;s history. The operation led to heavy casualties and damage to the Golden Temple complex, followed by Indira Gandhi&rsquo;s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards later that year &mdash; an event that triggered widespread anti-Sikh riots.

P. Chidambaram speaking at Kasauli literature festival

Ex-minister says Indira Gandhi “paid with her life” for Op Blue Star

Chidambaram: Operation Blue Star Was a Mistake

Ex-minister says Indira Gandhi “paid with her life” for Op Blue Star

October 12, 2025 | 16:11 IST