Washington DC [US], September 17 (ANI): Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri who is currently in the United States has severely criticised Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accusing him of having a "Jinnah like" mindset, that wants the nation to bleed and "foment a divisive narrative."
"He (Rahul Gandhi) never talked about the Sikhs while being in India. When they were in power, which government produced the monsters...they need to do some solid introspection, why this happened. This is a narrative anchored in total lies and. Therefore I am, not surprised that he is going around doing it but it is, I think, this thing about Muhammad Ali Jinnah, what he did, that either I want what I want, or else I will destroy it," Puri who is in Washington DC for discussions with United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on Monday (local time) said.
"There can be some differences. But the whole beauty of democracy is to sit and address this issue...They should see the contribution of RSS for the nation. The one distinguishing feature in PM Modi government's ideology is Nation First...but he (Rahul Gandhi) is doing like Jinnah...you want to bleed it into a kind of breakup. But I want to remind them that our very old, more than 5000 years old, culture and civilization, it's an old civilization. People like this will not be able to break it, and we are a proud nation, the minister added.
The Minister also alleged that Rahul Gandhi's comments showed that there was a "systematic sinister" attempt to divide.
"I have worn a turban 62 years of my life. I've worn a kada even longer. I think most children in our families when they're born, the first occasion, you know, they put a kada around. But, I think the more disturbing trend is, you know, to say that this is a statement which was made out of ignorance. I think that's wrong. I think there is a more systematic sinister, and I'm using this word carefully, attempt to foment a divisive narrative, to create a sense of insecurity and freedom," Hardeep Puri said.
"Now, my brothers and sisters who came to the United States to work here many years ago. Some of them have active contacts with the, with their home country. Some of them just go through social media or whatever they read. Now, if you foment a narrative like this that seeks are finding it difficult or insecure to wear turban, some of them may actually believe it, which is not the case. If there has been any time in the history of our post independence existence, when there was an existential threat to the Sikhs or the felt one, I've experienced it myself, it was during the 1984, I don't know, use the word riots because it was a one sided pogrom against, you know, innocent people, 3000 of whom were killed in cold blood in India. And if you look at what happened before that, you know, in the 80s when they in the run up to the Asian Games, Sikhs used to be taken out of buses, etc. and said, you know, because you're a turban Sikh, you go on the side," he added.
Hardeep Puri also praised PM Modi saying that it was under his leadership that many initiative had been take for Sikhs including the opening of the Kartarpur corridor.
"I think it's a matter of great pride for somebody like me to say that the Sikhs have never had it so good, all the grievances which were there have actually been addressed by the honorable Prime Minister, whether it is removing names of Sikhs from the blacklist, whether it is addressing the issue of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor or, you know, celebrating the Sahibzada's contribution in terms of Veer Bal Divas, etc. All that is there. What I'm surprised about is that there seems to be a pattern in this. And last year this honorable leader of opposition came here and he said Sikhs were second class citizens. I came across that statement. Then now recently, apparently in different places here, whilst he's attacking an ideology, he's trying to, you know, build a narrative by turning around and saying you cannot practice your religion," Puri said
"Every community has grievances. Let me assure you the majority community also has grievances that they are made to sometimes feel like a minority community in their own country. There are other minority communities. But the beauty of a democracy, and by the way, we have 960 million registered voters and something like 680 million actually turned out to vote. That is a celebration of democracy. There are differences of opinion in the United States. But, if somebody who should know better, I choose my words carefully, who should know better, comes out here and at a time when there's an election going on, makes it a point to go to places to place to fret insecurity. In our country, we say that that they are spreading lies and rumours," Puri said. (ANI)
