Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments in the United States about the plight of Sikhs in India have sparked political backlash from the BJP, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by religious minorities in the country.
ON A RECENT VISIT to the United States of America, Rahul Gandhi (RG) had many interactions with the audience. In one such meeting, he asked a Sikh in the audience what his name was. He was discussing the two poles of politics in India, hinting at the increasingly assertive and aggressive nature of narrow sectarian politics in the country.
He told the audience that in India, “The fight is about whether he, as a Sikh, is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India or whether he, as a Sikh, is going to be allowed to wear a ‘kada’ in India. Or whether he, as a Sikh, is going to be able to go to a gurdwara. That’s what the fight is about. And not just for him, for all religions,” the Congress leader said.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addresses the Indian Diaspora, in Washington DC, USA, Sep. 10, 2024.
Clearly, the example of Sikhs was incidental, and he was hinting at a broader trend of intimidation of religious minorities in India. Some Sikh and other leaders from the BJP pounced on RG, labeling him with the usual anti-national tags and calling him divisive, among other things.
The simple point regarding the religious and cultural rights and practices of diverse sections of society was deliberately undermined in these criticisms. This occasion was yet again used by the BJP to further attack RG, who has been a target of vitriol from the party.
RG clarified his understanding of the vision of India in a tweet, stating, “As usual, the BJP is resorting to lies. They are desperate to silence me because they cannot stand the truth. But I will always speak up for the values that define India: our unity in diversity, equality, and love.”
Unmindful of RG’s spirit, Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri wrote in an article in the Indian Express that the only time Sikhs went through a crisis was during the decade of the 1980s, hinting at the ethnic cleansing of Sikhs in many places, particularly in Delhi in 1984.
He likened RG’s attitude to that of MA Jinnah, who sought to divide the country. He failed to acknowledge that it was the BJP government that completely ignored the demands of farmers, many of whom were Sikhs, for months before the anti-farmer bills were withdrawn. Meanwhile, the Sikhs participating in this massive protest were labeled as Khalistanis.
As far as the 1984 ethnic cleansing is concerned, those leading the pogrom can never be pardoned. The Indian National Congress’s Manmohan Singh, who served as Prime Minister for a decade, has apologized for the events, and one expects that those guilty of the violence will be brought to justice as soon as possible. The lapse of decades in not punishing the perpetrators of the 1984 crimes is highly condemnable.
It is rarely realized that the RSS-BJP did not come to protect the Sikh community, which was being brutalized.
On the contrary, Shamsul Islam, a major scholar on the rise of fundamentalism in India, points out that the RSS also colluded in this ghastly pogrom: “A crucial proof of this criminal collusion in the massacre of Sikhs is a document circulated by Nana Deshmukh, a prominent ideologue of the RSS (now deceased). Titled ‘Moments of Soul Searching,’ it was circulated by Deshmukh on November 8, 1984. (It was also published in George Fernandes’ edited Hindi magazine, Pratipask.)
This should help unmask a number of criminals involved in the massacre and rape of ordinary, innocent Sikhs who had nothing to do with the killing of Indira Gandhi. This document may also shed light on where the cadres came from, who methodically organized the killing of Sikhs. Nana Deshmukh is seen outlining the justification for the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984.”
There is another angle to the comments against RG. Some Sikh groups see it as a welcome recognition of their Sikh identity. K. Sudarshan, a former RSS chief, stated that Sikhism is a Panth (sect) of Hinduism and that Khalsa was created to protect Hindus from Islam.
In 2019, Mohan Bhagwat claimed that India is a Hindu nation. There was strong protest against both these statements. These outpourings also reveal the RSS mindset. One must acknowledge that Sikhism is not just a sect but a religion in its own right; it has its founder, Guru Nanak Devji, who said, “Na Hum Hindu Na Hum Musalmman” (I am neither a Hindu nor a Muslim).
Editorials in prominent Punjabi newspapers like Punjabi Tribune and Nawa Zamana criticized Bhagwat’s statements in strong terms. While the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a constituent of the NDA and an ally of the BJP, also reacted strongly to Bhagwat’s comments. Giani Harpreet Singh, the acting Jathedar (head priest) of Akal Takht, stated that he believes the RSS’s actions will create divisions in the country. “The statements being made by RSS leaders are not in the country’s interests…”
Contrary to the assertion that Sikhism is part of Hinduism, there is a book by Kahan Singh titled Hum Hindu Nahin (We Are Not Hindus). If we examine Sikh traditions, we find rich syncretism. The foundation of the Golden Temple was laid by Miyan Mir. Baba Farid and other Sufi saints are respected alongside Bhakti saints like Kabir and Ravidas.
The Guru Granth Sahib, the Guru of Sikhs, contains writings not only of Sikh Gurus but also of Sufi and Bhakti saints. Its main focus is to shift away from the rigidities imposed by Maulanas and Brahminical teachings of caste and gender inequality.
Religions originating from the subcontinent—Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—preach the equality of people and generally reject caste and gender hierarchies.
Many Sikh leaders try to join the BJP merely for the sake of power, unmindful of the contradiction between the humane values of Sikhism and the orthodoxies of Brahminism. As Ambedkar pointed out, Brahmanism is the most dominant tendency within Hinduism. This is what led him to renounce Hinduism and embrace Buddhism.
Sikhism flourished during the so-called Muslim period of Indian history. Given the strong reaction from many Sikh organizations, the RSS is now conceding that Sikhism is an independent religion. RG’s statement, in no way, is divisive and instead represents the values of the Indian Constitution. 
(This article was first published in The Wire)
Ram Puniyani
Author is a former professor of biomedical engineering and former senior medical officer affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
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