Will Sikh be allowed to wear turban in India? Rahul Gandhi in Virginia

New Delhi: On the second day of his US visit, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi sparked another row with his speech in Herndon of Virginia. 

Highlighting what he perceived as a threat to religious freedom in India, Gandhi said, "The fight is about whether he as a Sikh will be allowed to wear a turban in India, be allowed to wear a kada, be allowed to go to a gurudwara, not just for him, the fight is for all religions.”

#WATCH | Herndon, Virginia, USA: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "Three months before elections our bank accounts were all sealed... We were discussing that now what to do...I said 'Dekhi Jayegi', let's see what we can do .. and we went into the elections..." pic.twitter.com/dW6U1Hdq7y

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2024

BJP slammed Gandhi for his attempt to divide communities and promote religious hatred.

Gandhi’s comments wear significance in the context of the ongoing controversy over the ‘Emergency’ film which a few Sikh organisations opposed.

While a few people from the Sikh community continue to take pride in the killing of Gandhi’s grandmother Indira by two of her Sikh bodyguards, the community is understood to have forgiven Congress over the pogrom of thousands of Sikhs in 1984 as the grand old party continues to win elections in Punjab.