The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sep 10 slammed Congress Member Parliament (MP) and the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his remark on religious freedom of Sikhs in India during an event in the US saying that the minority community was scared of wearing turban and kada during the 1984 riots under the Congress regime.
Addressing the members of the Indian diaspora in Virginia, Gandhi said that the fight is about whether a person, as a Sikh, enjoys complete religious freedom in India.
“The fight is about whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear his turban in India. Or he as a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a kada in India,” said Gandhi while referring to a member of the Indian community after seeking to know his name and faith.
“Or a Sikh is able to go to Gurdwara. That’s what the fight is about and not just for a Sikh, for all religions,” he added.
BJP accused the Congress MP of setting a dangerous narrative on the foreign soil by his remark on the state of religious freedom in India, predominantly the Sikhs.
“In 1984, at least 3,000 innocent people were killed. They were dragged out of the house. These are all documented facts about this. The only time Sikhs felt anxiety and a sense of insecurity was during Rajiv Gandhi’s time in 1984,” said Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
“Rahul Gandhi speaks without knowing the facts. There are some sensitive issues which include our unity and diversity which has a dangerous narrative,” he added.
Puri asserted that he traveled across India with a turban and had never faced or seen issues projected by Gandhi in the US.
Castigating the Congress leader, Puri said that his language matches the tone of Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is wanted in India on terror charges.
“Rahul’s language is quite similar to the fugitive from our law who lives in New York. Is Gandhi meeting Pannun,” he asked.
Slamming Gandhi for his remarks on the minority community’s religious freedom, BJP leader RP Singh said, “I will file a case against Rahul Gandhi. I will drag him to court,”
“At least 3,000 Sikhs were massacred in Delhi, their turbans were taken off, their hair was chopped off and their beard was shaved. Rahul Gandhi doesn’t say that this happened when Congress was in power. I challenge him to repeat in India what he is saying about Sikhs,” he added.
During an interaction with the Indian diaspora in Virginia, Gandhi said the real issue in India is not just politics but whether individuals will still be allowed to practice their cultural and religious rights.
‘Frozen bank accounts ahead of LS polls’
Gandhi alleged three months before the general elections, the Congress party's bank accounts were "sealed", leaving them with no funds for advertising or campaigning.
“We had no money to transport our leaders. I remember discussing with Mallikarjun Kharge and the treasurer, who had lost his confidence about what to do next,” he said, while addressing an Indian diaspora event in Virginia's Herndon in the US on Sep 9.
“I said we will see and that was the spirit with which we fought the election. This was the first time I encountered such a situation, despite having contested elections since 2004,” he added.
He alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is promoting the idea that some states are inferior to others, that certain languages are inferior to others, and that some religions are inferior to others.
The Congress believes that people from states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, or Madhya Pradesh all have their own history, tradition, and language, and that every person is important, Gandhi said.
Gandhi will be in Washington for two days before heading back to Delhi.
