'Completely out of line, must apologise’: Rahul Gandhi on Pitroda’s 1984 remark

New Delhi, May 10: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday described Sam Pitroda's 'hua toh hua' remark on anti-Sikh riots as "completely out of line" and said he should apologise for it.

"What Sam Pitroda said is completely out of line and he should apologise for it. I think 1984 was a needless tragedy that caused tremendous pain," he posted on Facebook.

"I think justice has to be done. The people who were responsible for the 1984 tragedy have to be punished. The Former PM, Manmohan Singh has apologised. My mother, Sonia Gandhi has apologised. We all have made our position very clear - that 1984 was a terrible tragedy and should never have happened," he added.

"What Sam Pitroda has said is absolutely and completely out of line and is not appreciated. I will be communicating this to him directly. He must apologise for his comment," he further added.

The Congress came under heavy criticism after Pitroda, a close aide of Gandhi and Overseas Congress' head, stirred up a hornet's nest after he reportedly said, "So what, it happened" about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi mounted a fresh offensive at Congress and said it showed the "character and mentality" of the grand old party.

Earlier in the day, the Congress had distanced itself from Pitroda's reported remarks on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and advised leaders to be "careful and sensitive".