Salient points of the press conference of Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri

 

Salient Points of Senior BJP Leader and Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri’s Press Conference

 

During his visit to America, Rahul Gandhi is misleading the Sikh community living in America by making false statements about the Sikhs living in India that Sikhs are not allowed to wear turbans and bangles in India. Bharatiya Janata Party strongly condemns this statement.

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Rahul Gandhi is running a campaign to defame the country on foreign soil, which is highly condemnable.

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Only time Sikhs felt genuine insecurity and an existential threat was during the period when Rahul Gandhi's family was in power and comments like "Bada Ped Girta Hai Toh Dharti Hilti Hai" were made, which attempted to justify the targeting of a minority community

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Rahul Gandhi may lack knowledge or speak out of ignorance on certain issues. However, recently, he has addressed sensitive topics concerning national identity, unity and diversity

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Rahul Gandhi should educate himself, as the RSS is an organization that consistently steps forward during times of crisis in India

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LoP Rahul Gandhi attacked the Indian legal system, speculated about election outcomes and claimed that the Congress party's accounts were frozen without providing the full context

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Rahul Gandhi has consistently undermined the country’s reputation and failed to recognize India’s status as a robust economy, the world’s largest democracy and the mother of democracy

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During the 1984 pogrom against the Sikh community, many Sikhs were attacked, leading numerous individuals to shave their beards and abandon their turbans out of fear

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Hon’ble Prime Minister has consistently worn a turban during visits to gurdwaras

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BJP government has addressed numerous demands from the Sikh community, such as the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and Veer Bal Divas

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Senior BJP Leader and Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri convened a press conference at the party's central office on Tuesday. During the conference, Shri Puri strongly condemned Rahul Gandhi's statements about Sikhs not being able to wear turbans and ‘Kada’. He also highlighted the developments and efforts made by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Sikh community.

 

Shri Puri remarked that even when Rahul Gandhi was not the Leader of the Opposition, whether as a citizen or a Member of Parliament, he never weighed his words carefully. When analyzing his statements, many interesting points emerge. A simplistic understanding suggests that he may lack knowledge or speak out of ignorance on certain issues. However, recently, he has been addressing sensitive topics related to national identity, unity and diversity. Rahul Gandhi's statements are attempting to set a dangerous new narrative on these crucial matters.

 

Union Minister Shri Puri remarked that during Rahul Gandhi's recent trip, where the Sikh audience was also present, he unexpectedly claimed that Sikhs in India face anxiety about wearing turbans or ‘Kada’. Shri Puri countered this by stating that he has worn a turban for over six decades and a ‘Kada’ even longer, expressing pride in being a Sikh and commending the current government for addressing Sikh concerns. Sikhs have never felt safer or more honored than they do now, post-1947. However, the only time Sikhs felt genuine insecurity and an existential threat was during the time when Rahul Gandhi's family was in power.

 

Shri Puri stated that in 1984, a program was carried out against the Sikh community, where 3,000 innocent people were killed, dragged out of their homes and burnt alive with tyres placed around them. These are documented cases and chargesheets have been filed, although justice has been long delayed. Shri Puri reminded Rahul Gandhi that the only time Sikhs truly felt anxiety, insecurity and an existential threat in India was when statements like "Bada Ped Girta Hai Toh Dharti Hilti Hai" were made, an attempt to justify the targeting of a minority community. Rahul Gandhi’s statements could be due to the influence of his intellectual advisor Sam Pitroda, who stated that Rahul Gandhi is not a “Pappu” anymore. Rahul Gandhi's inspiration seems to come from the belief that India is not one nation and makes comments with suggestions that people from the North-East are Chinese. Shri Puri added that he is not surprised by Rahul’s remarks, as he appears to be under the influence of such people.

 

Union Minister Shri Puri stated that Rahul Gandhi's actions are far more sinister, as he is setting a false narrative among the Sikhs who have spent their lives working hard. Recently, Rahul Gandhi remarked that China is a large economy with no unemployment and also criticized the RSS. Rahul Gandhi should educate himself, as the RSS is the one organization that consistently steps forward during times of crisis in India.

 

Shri Puri highlighted that Rahul Gandhi had traveled to the USA not as an ordinary citizen but as the Leader of the Opposition. Rahul Gandhi attacked the Indian legal system, speculated about election outcomes and claimed that the Congress party's accounts were frozen without providing the full context. Rahul Gandhi undermined the country’s reputation and failed to recognize India’s status as a robust economy, the world’s largest democracy and the mother of democracy. He did not even acknowledge the contributions of his ancestors and predecessors to the nation. His actions amounted to a total disparagement of the country.

 

Union Minister Shri Puri noted that Rahul Gandhi repeatedly questioned whether Sikhs could wear turbans and travel around the country without facing issues. Shri Puri emphasized that, as a Sikh himself, he has traveled across the country wearing a turban and has never encountered any complaints from Sikhs about wearing turbans or a 'Kada'.

 

Shri Puri pointed out that the Leader of the Opposition is relatively young and has drawn attention to the fact that, across the last three elections combined, the Congress tally has not even reached 200 seats. The Congress party secured only 99 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Shri Puri stated that the time has come to address this falsehood once and for all. He called on Sikh compatriots to scrutinize the statements made by Rahul Gandhi and expose the nonsense he is propagating.

 

Union Minister Shri Puri mentioned that over the past ten years, during which a significant portion of the time was spent as part of the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji's team, the Hon'ble Prime Minister has consistently worn a turban during visits to gurdwaras. The BJP government has addressed numerous demands from the Sikh community, such as the Kartarpur Sahib corridor and Veer Bal Divas. The sentiment of the BJP government is to remain open to discussions and resolve any remaining issues, including those related to farmers. The statements made by Rahul Gandhi regarding Sikhs not being able to wear turbans and Kada were strongly condemned and he should be exposed for the lies he propagated.

 

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