Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has expressed sadness over the Tamil Nadu government's decision to set free all the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He said in Amethi that if a Prime Minister, who sacrificed his life for the nation, does not get justice how will a common man get. He, however said he was not in favour of death penalty.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram said he cannot say he is unhappy over commutation of the death sentence of the three convicts but still there was irreparable grief over the brutal killing. He said as a legal proposition, there is an issue with the reasoning of the Supreme Court that mere delay is enough to commute the death sentence.

The Minister of State for Home R P N Singh said that the decision to set free all the convicts in the case is extremely unfortunate. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi termed the decision as irresponsible, perverse and populist.

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad viewed the news of Rajiv Gandhi's assassins being treated with compassion as disturbing. He told reporters in New Delhi that killing a former Prime Minister is a serious offence. Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman in a tweet said that attacking Parliament or brutal killing of a former PM are terror attacks against the country and institutions getting soft on terror is worrisome. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy termed the Cabinet decision as illegal.