Khalistani leader uses Rahul remark to justify stand on Sikhs in India
After Rahul’s comments, the BJP launched a vicious attack on the Congress leader, accusing him of driving “a dangerous narrative” abroad
Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has used an off-the-cuff statement made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to claim that Sikhs are discriminated against in India.
"Rahul's statement on ‘existential threat to Sikhs in India’ is not only bold and pioneering but is also firmly grounded in the factual history of what Sikhs have been facing under successive regimes in India since 1947 and also corroborates SFJ's stance on the justification for Punjab independence referendum to establish (a) Sikh homeland Khalistan," Pannun said in a statement on X.
The SJF stands for Sikhs For Justice, which advocates a separate state for Sikhs in India.
What Rahul said
Addressing Indian Americans in Herndon, a suburb of Washington DC, Rahul on Monday accused the RSS of viewing some religions, languages and communities of being inferior to others and said the fight in India was about this and not about politics.
Looking at a Sikh member of the audience, Rahul said: "The fight is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India or a kada in India. Or he, as a Sikh, is going to be able to go to a gurdwara. That's what the fight is about.
“And not just for him, for all religions," said Rahul, whose four-day trip ended on Tuesday.
BJP attacks Rahul
The moment Rahul’s comments became known, the Bharatiya Janata Party launched a vicious attack on the Congress leader, accusing him of driving “a dangerous narrative” among the Indian diaspora in the US.
Union minister and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh virtually accused Rahul of committing treason.