Terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun calls Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Sikhs 'bold and pioneering'. He cites 'factual history' of Sikhs in India since 1947. Rahul Gandhi's statement criticised by BJP leaders

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist by India, said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's "bold and pioneering" remarks on whether a Sikh would be allowed to wear a turban or Kada in India, justified the demand for a separate Khalistani state.

While speaking at an event in Herndon, Virginia, on Monday, the Congress leader said, "The fight (in India) is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a turban...whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear a kada or go to the Gurudwara. That's what the fight is about, and it's not just for Sikhs, but for all religions."

In a social media post, Pannun said that Gandhi's statement on the "existential threat to Sikhs in India is not only bold and pioneering, but is also firmly grounded in the factual history of what Sikhs have been facing under successive regimes in India since 1947".

"(It) also corroborates SFJ's (Sikhs for Justice) stance on the justification for the Punjab Independence Referendum to establish a Sikh homeland, Khalistan," he added.

Sikhs for Justice is a US-based group run by Pannun.

Gandhi's statement caused a political storm and drew sharp criticism from top BJP leaders.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri called the remarks "sinister" and said the Narendra Modi-led Central government has "gone out of its way" to address issues concerning the Sikh community.

Referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Puri said, "If there has been one time in our history when as a community we have felt anxiety, a sense of insecurity and existential threat, it has been the times when Rahul Gandhi's family were in the seats of power."

"In 1984, a pogrom was carried out against the Sikh community. As many as 3,000 innocent people were killed. People were dragged out of their homes, tyres were put around them and burnt alive,... In the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, many of my friends shed their turbans and got clean-shaven out of fear because they were attacked," he added.

On his part, BJP national spokesperson RP Singh said he would file a complaint in court against Gandhi if he makes such statements in India.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also criticised the Congress MP and questioned the need for airing internal issues on foreign soil.

"Why go abroad and expose your own shortcomings? Within the country, such immaturity might be tolerated, but what is the point of making it so evident outside? Who is attacking India in this manner?" he tweeted.

(With Inputs From Agencies)