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 one of the Sikhs sitting in the audience what his name was. He was talking about two poles of politics in India, hinting at the narrow sectarian politics becoming more assertive and aggressive in India. 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 he, as a Sikh, is going to be allowed to wear a 'kada' in India. Or he, as a Sikh, will 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 had said.

Clearly, the Sikhs' example was incidental, and he was hinting at a broader trend of intimidation of religious minorities in India. Some Sikhs and other leaders from the BJP pounced on RG, putting on him the usual anti-national labels and calling him divisive, among other things. These criticisms deliberately undermined the simple point of religious and cultural rights and practices of diverse sections of society. This occasion, yet again, was used by the BJP to further attack RG, who has been a recipient of vitriol from the BJP.

In a tweet, RG clarified his understanding of India's vision: "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 the spirit of RG, Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in an article in Indian Express, wrote that the only time Sikhs went through a crisis was in the decade of 1980s, hinting at ethnic cleansing of Sikhs, in many places in the country, particularly in Delhi in 1984. He called RG's attitude like that of MA Jinnah, who was out to divide the country. He had not registered that it was the BJP Government which totally ignored the demands of farmers, many of them Sikhs, for months before the anti-farmer bills were withdrawn. Meanwhile, the Sikhs participating in this massive protest were labelled as Khalistanis.

As far as 1984 ethnic cleansing is concerned, those leading the pogrom can never be pardoned. The Indian National Congress's Manmohan Singh, who was Prime Minister for a decade, has apologised for the same, and one expects that the guilty of the violence will be brought to book as soon as possible. The lapse of decades in not punishing the guilty of 1984 crimes is highly condemnable.

It is never realised that RSS-BJP did not come to protect the Sikh community, which was being brutalised. On the contrary, Shamsul Islam, a prominent scholar on the rise of fundamentalism in India, points out that 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. (Added, it was also published in George Fernandes edited Hindi Magazine, Pratipask) This should help in unmasking 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 throw light on where the cadres came from, who methodically organised the killing of Sikhs. Nana Deshmukh is seen outlining the justification of the massacre of the Sikh community in 1984."

In these comments against RG, there is one more angle. Some Sikh Groups see it as a welcome recognition of their Sikh identity. K Sudarshan, ex-RSS chief, in a statement, had said that Sikhism is a Panth (Sect) of Hinduism and that Khalsa was created to protect Hindus from Islam. In 2019, Mohan Bhagwat said that India is a Hindu Nation. There was a strong protest against both these statements. These outpourings also show the RSS mindset. One knows that Sikhism is not just a sect but a religion in its own right. Its founder, Guru Nanak Devji clearly stated, 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 criticised the statement of Bhagwat in strong terms. While the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which is a constituent of the NDA and has been an ally of the BJP, also gave strong reaction to the statement of Mr Bhagwat. Giani Harpreet Singh, the acting Jathedar (head priest) of Akal Takht, said 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 utterances that Sikhism is part of Hinduism, there is a book by Kahan Singh, 'Hum Hindu Nahin' (We are not Hindus). If we look at Sikhism's traditions, we see rich syncretism. Miyan Mir laid the foundation of the Golden Temple. Baba Farid and other Sufi saints and Bhakti Saints like Kabir Raidas are respected. Guru Granth Saheb, the Guru of Sikhs, has writings not only of Sikh Gurus but also of Sufi and Bhakti Saints. Its primary focus is to shift away from the rigidities imposed by Maulanas and Brahminical teachings of caste and gender inequality.

Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, religions originating from the Subcontinent, all preach the equality of people and, in a way, are away from 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 Brahmism. 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. Seeing the strong reaction of many Sikh organisations, RSS is now conceding that Sikhism is an independent religion. RG's statement is in no way divisive and represents the values of the Indian Constitution.