Sikh organisations want remarks retracted

A delegation of Sikh committees and organisations on Saturday petitioned Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai demanding that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi withdraws his recent remarks about Sikhs. Gandhi had stated during a visit to the US that the fight in India was about whether Sikhs would be allowed to wear turbans, kadas, and visit gurdwaras.

“Such hate-filled statements are creating an atmosphere of fear in the country,” said BJP spokesperson and national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa. “In the 1980s, similar rhetoric was used before the Asian Games when Congress officials warned that if Sikhs attended, their turbans would be removed. We all know how that led to the anti-Sikh riots in 1984. Today, such statements from abroad suggest that Sikhs in India are being mistreated and restricted in their rituals, once again instilling fear in the Sikh community.”

Meanwhile, Gandhi doubled down on his remarks, questioning Sikhs whether what he said was wrong.