Rahul's mindset akin to Jinnah's: Hardeep Puri in US
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, currently in the US, has hit out at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accusing him of harbouring a “Muhammad Ali Jinnah like mentality”, whereby you either want what you seek or will destroy everything because you can't have it.
Speaking in the US, where Rahul Gandhi in his recent visit claimed that the fight in India was about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a turban, a kada and visit a gurdwara, Puri said Rahul Gandhi never spoke of the Sikhs in India and he should know better.
“He (Rahul) should be asked -- when you (Congress) were in power, who produced the monsters? I do not wish to delve into details but they need to do some solid introspection to find out why this (Operation Blue Star) happened, who got it done. This (Sikhs in India are insecure) is a narrative anchored in total lies.
“I think this is like what Muhammad Ali Jinnah used to do -- either I get what I want or I will destroy everything. This is that kind of mindset. Otherwise we can have ideological differences but the whole beauty of democracy is we address these issues,” said Puri.
“They (Rahul) are attacking RSS but they should see RSS' only goal is nation first. They are however following a Jinnah like mindset that you want to bleed it to a break up like situation but I wish to remind him that ours is a 5000-year-old civilisation and he will not be able to break it,” he added.
Puri, who is in the US to discuss energy cooperation, said the more disturbing trend is an attempt to pass off a serious statement by the Leader of Opposition “as a statement made out of ignorance, in the genre of Pappu, he does not know what he is talking about.”
“I think that is wrong. I think there is a more systematic, sinister and I am using this word carefully, attempting to foment a dividine narrative to create a sense of insecurity.
He is trying to build a narrative by turning around and saying you cannot practice your religion. Has anybody in India told him that? I have worn a turban for 62 years of my life. I have worn a kada even longer. Most children in Sikh families when they are born they first put a kada around them,” said Puri.
He reiterated his previous attack on Gandhi and said if there has been any time in post independent history of India when Sikhs experienced an existential threat or felt one, it was in 1984.
“I would not call that a riot. It was a one sided pogrom against innocent people, 3000 of whom were killed in cold blood. Even in the run up to the Asian Games in 1980, Sikhs used to be taken out of buses and segregated,” the minister said.
He said Sikhs have not had it so good as they have had under the current BJP-led NDA rule.
“Whether it is removing the names of Sikhs from the black list, opening the Kartarpur Corridor, celebrating the contributions of Sahibzadas, the issues of Sikhs have been addressed...I am also surprised that there seems to be a pattern in all this (statements by Rahul).
“Last year he said Sikhs are second class citizens. Now again while he is attacking an ideology he is trying to build a narrative that people cannot practice their religion. Communities can have grievances. The majority community also has grievances that they are sometimes made to feel like minorities in their own country. But the beauty of democracy is to sit together and resolve these issues,” the minister added.
