So, was it the shoe thrown by the journalist Jarnail Singh at the Home Minister that proved to be the catalyst for change?

Speaking to NDTV, the Home Minister says although the forum and method used by Jarnail Singh was not correct, he understood the larger sentiment it reflected. He said not enough people had been punished for the 1984 carnage.

"I understand the sentiment of the shoe thrower," the Home Minister said, adding" perhaps the wheel of law has been slow Many carnages have gone unpunished."

It is a "sad reflection on our legal system," he said.

The Home Minister told NDTV that he disapproved of the remarks made by Union Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav against BJP leader Varun Gandhi.

"Lalu should not have made the comments he did on Varun. It is inappropriate for a minister to talk the way he did."

Chidambam also said that it was premature to talk about the Taliban's presence in Jammu and Kashmir.