New Delhi:

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Tuesday after the latter’s comment – the fight between their two parties is over an ideological divide and “… whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a turban… wear a kada (the steel bangle) … go to a gurdwara”.

Mr Sirsa accused him of using “hateful words” towards the Sikh community and said, “He (Mr Gandhi) said Sikhs in India are fighting for their identity and right to practice their religion.”

“Your dirty politics is diving the country. You have stooped so low that you allege that Sikhs in India cannot wear turbans and kada… you say Sikhs and gurdwaras are not safe in India.”

“I condemn his words. Our Prime Minister wears the turban to gurdwaras…he respects Sikhism,” Mr Sirsa, the BJP’s National Secretary, said in a video statement released this morning.

Mr Sirsa remined Mr Gandhi Sikhs had occupied some of the highest offices in the country.

“India is proud of its Sikhs. You used gurdwara, dastar or pagh (turban), kada and kripaan (the curved blade wielded by Khalsa Sikhs) to spread hate in your heart against Sikhs…” he alleged.

Mr Gandhi, interacting with Indian diaspora an event in Virginia in the United States, had underlined the fight between the BJP and the opposition, much of which has banded together under the INDIA umbrella to defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, is ideological.

He had also stressed this fight is “for all religions”.

“First of all… you have to understand what the fight is about. It is not about politics… that is superficial. The fight is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India… or if a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a kada in India… or if a Sikh is going to be able to go to a gurdwara. That is what the fight is about and (it is) not just for a Sikh. It is for all religions.”

Mr Gandhi pointed to people from various Indian states in his audience and underscored the wealth of “history… language… tradition” that each state brings to the country.

“I can see in the crowd people from Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala… (you think) Punjab is a simple word… but it is not a simple word. This is your history, your language, your tradition. Your entire imagination is in this word…” he said.

During his events in the US Mr Gandhi launched veiled attacks on the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, stating that neither understood India is for all.

Using a plate of food, a thali, as an example, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, “In India everything works together…if someone says rice is more important than dal (in a thali) and vegetable are the least important, what will happen? That is what BJP does,” he said.

READ | Rahul Gandhi’s “Thali, Chawal, Dal, Sabji” Attack On RSS In US

Mr Gandhi also spoke out on the Congress’ bank accounts being sealed shortly before the April-June general election, which left the party, he said, without funds for campaigning.

READ | Rahul Gandhi On Congress Accounts Being Sealed Before Polls

However, he said something had “changed” in India after the election, in which the INDIA bloc stopped the BJP from an outright majority and left it relying on the NDA to form the government.

The BJP did not take the jabs lying down, and counter-accused Mr Gandhi of insulting India.

READ | RSS Believes Women Should Stay At Home: Rahul Gandhi. BJP Reacts

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari told news agency ANI Mr Gandhi is “eager to bat for China”. “Rahul does not stop here, he attacks the Indian legal system just because he is out on bail. He predicts social tension in India just because it is his strategy to divide and rule.”

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Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, is celebrating his 73rd birthday today, and BJP units all across India are observing his special day with diverse celebratory events. At Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, devotees led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa prayed for him on this occasion.

Speaking on occasion the BJP leader said, “A historic occasion unfolded as prayers were held for PM Narendra Modi Ji across the border at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. Today morning, we crossed the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to offer prayers at the revered Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. Our heartfelt prayers were dedicated to the well-being of all humanity and the peace and prosperity of our nation.”

It has been a blessed day as we crossed Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to pay obeisance at the sacred Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib, where our prayers resonated for the well-being of humanity, peace & prosperity of our nation.
We offered Rumala And Chandoya Sahib at the Gurdwara… pic.twitter.com/otBMdz9IQz

— Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 17, 2023

The group of devotees presented Chandoa and Rumala Sahib sets at the Gurdwara Sahib and fervently prayed for the long, healthy life and continued prosperity of Prime Minister Modi. Mr Sirsa also praised the Prime Minister for his role in making the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor a reality.

“His instrumental role in making the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor a reality fulfils a longstanding wish of the Sikh community,” he added.

Head Granthi of Gurdwara Sahib S Giani Gobind Singh and Pakistan Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Member S Inderjit Singh extended their best wishes to Prime Minister Modi and presented him with a turban, a siropa (robe of honor), and prasad (sacred food) as a token of respect and goodwill.

In an earlier conversation with reporters, Sirsa called upon both the Indian and Pakistani governments to streamline the passport checking process, making it easier for pilgrims visiting Kartarpur Sahib.

“This corridor was an impossible task which was made possible by the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev…PM Modi made it possible so we request the Indian government and Pakistan government that the visit to Kartarpur Sahib should even further be simplified in terms of passport checking,” he said.

The Kartarpur Corridor is a 4.7-kilometre-long visa-free corridor that connects Dera Baba Nanak Sahib in India to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan. The corridor was inaugurated in 2019 to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. This corridor allows Sikh pilgrims from India to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.

The Kartarpur Corridor is a significant development for Sikh pilgrims, who have long desired to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib without having to go through a lengthy and complicated visa process.

(With inputs from ANI)