New Delhi, May 11 (IANS): Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday expressed his strong disapproval of remarks of party leader Sam Pitroda concerning the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying these were completely out of line and he should apologise.

"I think what Sam Pitroda Ji said is completely out of line and he should apologise for it. 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," Gandhi said in a Facebook post.

He said Congress leaders - former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his mother and former Congress President Sonia Gandhi - had apologised and the guilty of the riots have to be punished.

"I think 1984 was a needless tragedy that caused tremendous pain. I think justice has to be done. The people who were responsible for the 1984 tragedy have to be punished. The former PM Manmohan Singhji has apologised. My mother Sonia Gandhiji has apologised. We all have made our position very clear - that 1984 was a terrible tragedy and should never have happened," he said.

Pitroda, who is the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress, and an aide of Gandhi, had on Thursday said 1984 "hua to hua" (it just happened), triggering strong criticism from the BJP and the Akali Dal.

He apologised for his remarks on Friday.