Politics

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Sikh’ Remarks in US Ignite Controversy, BJP Cites 1984 Riots

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi created a big controversy during his US visit, making remarks over the state of religious freedom in India, particularly targeting the Sikh community.

While addressing an event in Virginia, Gandhi asked if Sikhs would be allowed to wear turbans, wear a ‘kada’, or visit Gurdwaras freely in India, insinuating that these basic religious freedoms were under threat.

This remark instantly drew angry criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri accused Gandhi of uninformed views and setting a “dangerous narrative” on foreign soil, saying issues concerning unity and diversity in India should be treated with alacrity without distorting facts.

Puri also referred to the tragic 1984 anti-Sikh riots-where thousands of Sikhs were killed during the Congress rule as the only time Sikhs felt really insecure in India.

“In 1984, 3,000 innocent people were brutally murdered. They were dragged out of their homes. These are well-documented facts,” Puri, additional solicitor general, said while referring to the riots that broke out after the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. He explained that it was the only period when terror was spread among the Sikh community.

Puri, a Sikh himself, countered Gandhi’s claims, adding that he had travelled the country over wearing a turban without any of the issues that the Congress leader spoke about.

He further said that Gandhi’s remarks were no different from those from Khalistan separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges. Puri went ahead to ask if there was a linkage between Gandhi and Pannun since messages were similar.

Rahul’s Statement on Sikhs

He told the Indian diaspora present during the event, “The fight is about whether he as a Sikh will be allowed to wear his turban, his kada, or visit a Gurdwara in India.”

He further said these were not issues related merely to Sikhs but to all religious communities in India and termed this as an issue of religious freedom rather than debate over political issues.

Threat of Legal Action

Fuming over it, BJP leader RP Singh shot back furiously, stating that he is going to file a case against Gandhi on his statements. Singh attacked Gandhi over his inability to recognize the atrocities that were committed against Sikhs in 1984 when the Congress party was at the Centre.

He further dared Gandhi to replicate his remarks on Sikh freedoms in India, accusing him of distorting the country’s history and its people and not recognizing the role of Congress in the 1984 riots.

Three thousand Sikhs were massacred in Delhi, their turbans were taken off, and their hair and beards were trimmed,” Singh said, terming Gandhi’s remarks as misleading.

BJP Accuses of Defaming India

This visit to the US by Gandhi, his first since he was appointed as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has not gone down well with several BJP leaders.

During the trip, he spoke about unemployment and the ideological influence of the RSS in India-above-all criticisms that did not go down well with the ruling party.

BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan attacked Gandhi on the grounds of “destroying the image of India in the world.” “He is the LOP, and he is responsible for the country. He goes out and defames the country.

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it amounts to treason,” said Chouhan, representng an impression held by a large section of BJP leaders, who see Gandhi’s utterances on foreign soil as damaging to India’s global image.