His voice breaks even now when he talks about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. ‘‘My entire family was harmed during the riots. They destroyed my house. So, for me this is definitely a factor,’’ says 85-year-old Gurdip Singh, as he steps out of the polling booth at Happy Senior School. The riots at Kirti Nagar had broken out near this school.
The 1984 riots has been a major political issue this time around, especially after the Congress gave tickets to riot-accused Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar from Sadar and Outer Delhi that have a sizeable Sikh population.
BJP candidate from Sadar, Vijay Goel, even distributed booklets on the alleged role of Congress in the riots. Tytler responded by circulating copies of the court order that exonerated him of the charges. But both the acts have only attracted criticism from the Sikh residents of the area.
‘‘They are bringing up a 20-year-old issue. How is it that nobody remembered this issue before? The people are being fooled,’’ said Sarabjit Kaur, a voter from Karmapur in Sadar. ‘‘If the Congress is responsible for the riots then the BJP is responsible for its failure to bring the guilty to book,’’ he added.
For many young and middle-aged Sikh voters, the 1984 riots is not the primary issue. ‘‘All that people are interested in is what is happening to their business. It’s very down, at the moment, and the government needs to do something about it. The riots have just become a political issue,’’ said Taranjit Singh from Karol Bagh.
In Outer Delhi’s Tilak Nagar, the BJP’s month-long efforts to woo the Sikh community were negated today, with most Sikhs staying away from the polling stations. Tilak Nagar houses many victims of the ’84 riots and had formed a focal point of BJP candidate Sahib Singh Verma’s rigorous campaigning.
The 47.14 per cent votes polled at Tilak Nagar has been lower than previous elections. ‘‘The last Assembly elections held at the polling booths here recorded a voting count of 56.19 per cent,’’said an election official at a polling booth in Tilak Nagar.
Local BJP workers say the voter turnout in this anti-Sikh riot affected area was low also because BJP’s Sahib Singh Verma had been ‘‘unable to encash the situation and rope in all the anti-Congress voters.’’
‘‘There are a considerable number of dedicated Sikh voters who vote for the Congress. This year they did not want to vote for Sajjan Kumar nor for the BJP,’’says a BJP worker.
Others blamed the obvious absence of Sikh voters from the polling booths on the heat and the long holiday. ‘‘It is very hot today. Because of the extended holiday many voters have gone out of town. You also have to realise that the enthusiasm for the Lok Sabha elections has waned since local issues hold very little importance in these polls,’’says BJP worker Dr. Manmohan Bhola who is attached to local MLA Dayanand Chandela.
The few who did turn up were determined to show their angst against the Congress. ‘‘How could the Congress field Sajjan Kumar? I usually don’t vote but I have come this time to make my point,’’says Manpreet Kaur.