'Dangerous narrative': Union Minister Hardeep Puri slams Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Sikhs

India's Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the US, about the Sikh community, saying that the opposition leader is trying to create a "dangerous narrative" by speaking untruth on "sensitive issues" abroad. 

The Union Minister, while addressing a press conference at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi, said that Gandhi's comments were "sinister" in nature as he tried to spread falsehood among the Sikh diaspora in the US. 

"I condemn in the strongest terms the statement he has made about Sikhs not being able to wear turbans and kadas," Puri said. 

"I think this is far more sinister because Rahul Gandhi was trying to spread a false narrative while speaking in front of those, who belong to my community and are trying to eke out a living in the US with hard work and honesty. Because they do not have much connection with the country (India)," he said.

Referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which took place when the Congress was in power, Puri said, "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 has been in the seats of power."

"In 1984, a pogrom was carried out against the Sikh community. As many as 3,000 innocent people were killed. People were dragged out of their homes, tyres were put around them and burnt alive," he added.

Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the US 

The Congress leader was addressing a gathering of Indian diaspora in Herndon, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, on Monday, when he accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of considering some religions, languages, and communities inferior to others, adding that the fight in India is about this and not about politics. 

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He said, "First of all, you have to understand what the fight is about. The fight is not about politics. That is superficial." 

"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 Gurdwara. That's what the fight is about. And not just for him, for all religions,” he added. 

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Hardeep Puri further criticised Gandhi and said that he has been making statements on sensitive issues, which "involve our national identity, unity, the strength of our unity and diversity". "I think he is trying to set a new kind of narrative, which I think is a dangerous narrative," he added. 

(With inputs from agencies)