London: Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Indian Parliament has kicked off a political storm following a speech in Virginia. Turning to a Sikh member of the audience he stated: “The fight is about whether he, as a Sikh, is going to be allowed to wear a turban in India; or whether, he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear a Kara in India; or whether he, as a Sikh, is allowed to go to a Gurudwara.”
Commenting on this the Sikh Federation UK said: “[t]he treatment of Sikhs in India is an extremely sensitive subject and his speech has opened up a can of worms for politicians in India”.
“Given we are marking the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Genocide where the Gandhi family and the Congress were the main instigators many are of the view his choice of words and tactics in highlighting the threat to religious freedoms posed by the right wing BJP have back fired”, reads Sikh Federation UK’s statement dated 11 September 2024.
Bhai Amrik Singh, the Chair of the Sikh Federation (UK) said: “The Congress and the BJP have made Sikhs and their treatment since 1947 and the last 40 years in particular, a political football for their own ends.”
“Rahul Gandhi’s words have opened up the unhealed wounds of 1984 with BJP and Congress politicians falling over themselves to refer to it as a Genocide and the Union Minister, Hardeep Singh using the phrase ‘existential threat’ to describe the Sikh experience in 1984” he said.
“However, the real issue is Sikhs around the negotiating table in 1947 mistakenly chose not to accept a separate homeland offered by the British government”, Sikh Federation UK Chair added.
“The Sikhs were tricked by the promises made by Indian Congress leaders on which they quickly reneged after 1947. Sikhs have therefore never accepted the discriminatory Indian Constitution, where Article 25 in effect labels Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists as Hindus. Neither the Congress or BJP have corrected this universal demand by Sikhs”, said he.
“A once in a life-time opportunity now exists for the re-establishment of a Sikh homeland with the support of global powers. Sikhs around the negotiating table will not the same mistake as 1947”, Bhai Amrik Singh added.
“The Federation is holding its National Sikh Convention on Sunday 15 September at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Sedley Street, Wolverhampton to mark its 40th anniversary. World renown Sikh speakers from across the globe will be participating and there are expected to be several major announcements”, the statement reads.