A Sikh delegation led by BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Harmeet Singh Kalka called on Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in New Delhi on Saturday regarding the remarks made by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (LoP) Rahul Gandhi about Sikhs in the United States.
Deliberating on the issue, Harmeet Singh Kalka, President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), said that a delegation of prominent Sikh leaders from various Sikh organisations met with Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, along with BJP National Secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa, to express their deep concern and strong protest against the recent remarks made by Rahul Gandhi about the Sikh Community in India during his visit to the United States.
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During the meeting, the delegation highlighted instances where Sikh students were denied entry to examination centres with their Kakaars, despite orders from the honorable courts, and urged the minister to address this issue, Kalka added.
Speaking at a press conference, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated, “We expressed concern about the negative comments made by Rahul Gandhi in the US regarding Sikhs and India, which have deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.”
Sirsa further said that the minister assured them that he had taken cognisance of the comments made by Rahul Gandhi. “He and Congress leaders have no knowledge of the martyrdoms and history of Sikhism, yet they continue to make such objectionable comments,” he added.
On September 10, Gandhi stoked controversy by stating that the fight in India is about whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear his turban or go to a Gurdwara, in a veiled attack on the ruling BJP, which he has been accusing of doing “divisive” politics.
