Sam Pitroda blames poor Hindi for ‘hua toh hua’ remark on 1984 riots

Congress leader Sam Pitroda offered an explanation on Friday for his widely criticised ‘hua toh hua’ remark about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as campaigning for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election came to an end.

Pitroda’s explanation

The 77-year-old leader had come under fire a day earlier for using the phrase, roughly meaning “it happened, so what”, while brushing aside questions about the riots, which took place under a Congress government. Many critics read it as justifying the violence.

Pitroda said his words had been taken out of context and blamed his weak Hindi. He said he had meant to say ‘jo hua wo bura hua’ (what happened was bad), but could not translate the word ‘bura’ in his mind, leaving out the most important word in his comment.

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The comment drew criticism across party lines, and the BJP and its allies used it to attack the Congress.

The Congress moved quickly to limit the damage, particularly in Delhi and Punjab, which have large Sikh populations and were still to vote. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh called the remark shocking, the party issued a statement condemning it, and Congress president Rahul Gandhi also condemned it.

See also: Indian National Congress.

Originally published on 11 May 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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