New Delhi: The US-based India-designated terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, welcomed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s comments in which he doubted if Sikhs or people of other religions enjoy their religious rights in India. Pannun termed Gandhi’s comments “bold and pioneering” and justified the demand for a separate Khalistan state.
Rahul Gandhi, while speaking in Herndon, Virginia, on Monday, said, “The fight (in India) is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a turban…whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear a kada or go to the Gurudwara. That’s what the fight is about, and it’s not just for Sikhs, but for all religions.”
In a social media post, Pannun said that Gandhi’s statement on the “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”. He added, “(It) also corroborates SFJ’s (Sikhs for Justice) stance on the justification for the Punjab Independence Referendum to establish a Sikh homeland, Khalistan.” he added.
Gandhi’s statements came in for sharp criticism from top BJP leaders. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told a press conference that Gandhi’s remarks were “sinister”.
“If there has been one time in our history when as a community we have felt anxiety, a sense of insecurity and existential threat, it has been the times when Rahul Gandhi’s family were in the seats of power,” he added.
One needs to figure out why the Leader of Opposition Mr Rahul Gandhi makes outlandish & defamatory statements about India on foreign soil. But what he has now said about Sikhs not being able to wear Kada and Turban border on being purely delusional and absurd.
Truth is that… pic.twitter.com/nyVy9CQu6b— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) September 10, 2024
Kiren Rijuju, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, commented, “We all should be one when it comes to our nation. Displaying immaturity inside own country may be tolerable but, what is the need to expose very obviously outside? Who is attacking India that way?”
विदेशों में जाकर अपनी खुद की पोल खोलने की क्या जरूरत है?
We all should be one when it comes to our nation. Displaying immaturity inside own country may be tolerable but, what is the need to expose very obviously outside? Who is attacking India that way? https://t.co/iLT35cj44y— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 10, 2024
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, former Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, commented, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Todays Debate Topic: Will Artificial Intelligence overcome Natural Stupidity ? @RahulGandhi assumes role of official sponsor of this debate.”
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
Todays Debate Topic: Will Artificial Intelligence overcome Natural Stupidity ? @RahulGandhi assumes role of official sponsor of this debate – #GameOn#KnowTheDifference… pic.twitter.com/M9FMONVq8p
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) September 10, 2024