Khalistani terrorist Pannun backs Rahul Gandhi's ‘Sikh’ remark in US: ‘Existential threat…’

Rahul Gandhi's statement on Sikhs in India sparked a political row, with many BJP leaders accusing him of defaming and dividing the country in US.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sparked a political slugfest during his ongoing visit to the United States, where he made a comment about the condition of the Sikh community in India. While NDA leaders slammed Rahul Gandhi's words, his remarks were endorsed by Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist in India.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (Congress-X)

During an event in Washington DC, Rahul Gandhi said, "Fight in India is whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear turban and kada, go to gurdwara.”

After major backlash on this statement, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun came out in support of the Congress leader's remarks.

“Rahul’s statement on ‘existential threat to Sikhs in India’ is not only bold and pioneering but is also firmly grounded in the factual history of what Sikhs have been facing under successive regimes in India since 1947 and also corroborates SFJ’s stance on the justification for Punjab Independence Referendum to establish Sikh homeland Khalistan,” Pannun said in a statement.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is the co-founder of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice, and has been declared a terrorist in India by the ministry of home affairs, on the grounds of sedition and secessionism.

While addressing Indian Americans in the US during his visit, Rahul Gandhi accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of considering some religions and communities as inferior to others. He said the fight in India is not over politics, but for the right of practising one's religion freely.

While speaking to a Sikh attendee, the Congress leader said, “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 a gurdwara in India. That's what the fight is about, not just for him, but for all religions.”

Rahul Gandhi also slammed the BJP-led central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the border standoff between India and China, saying that the PM has not “handled it well.”

"We've got Chinese troops occupying land the size of Delhi in Ladakh, and I think that's a disaster. The media doesn't like to write about it. How would America react if a neighbour occupied 4,000 square kilometres of its territory? Would any president be able to get away with saying he's handled that well? So, I don't think Mr Modi has handled China well at all. I see no reason why Chinese troops should be sitting in our territory," he said.