(Image source from: PTI)
Union Minister Hardeep Puri has criticized Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his comments made in the United States, including criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and seeing the battle with the BJP as an ideological divide over questions like "is a Sikh allowed to wear a turban (or) kada?" Mr. Puri accused Mr. Gandhi of spreading a "dangerous narrative" among the diaspora in the US and for criticizing the government while abroad and holding the Leader of the Opposition post. Mr. Puri said that the people in front of Mr. Gandhi at an event in the US were from his community, who eke out a living in the US and do not have a strong connection with the country, and Mr. Gandhi is spreading false narratives to them. Mr. Puri also mentioned that Mr. Gandhi had said "there is a very large economy (referring to China) where there is no unemployment" and has let loose a diatribe against the RSS, which is made worse because he has not gone out as a common citizen but as Leader of the Opposition.
The text discusses a disagreement between Rahul Gandhi and Hardeep Singh Puri regarding the treatment of Sikhs in India. Puri criticized Gandhi for attacking the legal system and election outcomes in India, while neglecting to mention the country's development. Puri also took issue with Gandhi's comments about the BJP-Congress divide being about religious freedom, particularly the ability to wear a turban. Puri argued that the only time Sikhs faced an "existential threat" was when Rahul Gandhi's family was in power, referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots following Indira Gandhi's assassination. Civilians were tragically killed, removed from their residences, and suffered a horrific fate by being set afire.
Mr. Puri criticized Rajiv Gandhi's controversial statement about the earth shaking when a large tree falls, saying it was one of the closest things he had seen to justifying attacks on a minority community. Hardeep Puri's strong criticism came shortly after another BJP leader, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, also condemned Rahul Gandhi for using "hateful words" against Sikhs. Sirsa accused Gandhi of alleging that Sikhs in India cannot freely practice their religion and wear their traditional attire, and of claiming that Sikhs and their places of worship are not safe in India. Sirsa condemned Gandhi's remarks, stating that India is proud of its Sikh community and that Gandhi used the Sikh symbols and practices to spread hatred against them. Rahul Gandhi, speaking to the Indian diaspora in the US, had emphasized that the fight between the BJP and the opposition parties united under the INDIA alliance is an ideological one, aimed at defeating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha used a plate of food, a thali, to illustrate that in India, all components are equally important and work together harmoniously. He criticized the BJP for prioritizing certain elements over others, just as considering rice more important than dal or vegetables in a thali would be wrong. The Leader also noted that something had shifted after the election, with the INDIA bloc preventing the BJP from securing a clear majority and forcing it to rely on the NDA to form the government.
