Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responded to the historical wrongs committed by the grand old party during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, stating that he is willing to take responsibility for everything the party has ever done wrong in its history.
During the session at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University in the United States, a Sikh student questioned Rahul Gandhi over the Congress party’s role in the violence that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The student referred to the killing of over 3,000 Sikhs and highlighted longstanding accusations of complicity against several Congress leaders.
“You create a fear among Sikhs about what BJP would look like… We want freedom of expression, which has not been allowed under the Congress Party in the past,” the student questioned Gandhi over his previous remarks on religious freedom under BJP rule.
“You haven’t reconciled with the Sikhs,” a young man tells Rahul Gandhi to his face, reminding him of the unfounded fear-mongering he engaged in during his last visit to the US.
It is quite unprecedented that Rahul Gandhi is now being ridiculed not just in India, but around the… pic.twitter.com/rml7JsDYKI
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 3, 2025
Reacting to the student’s question, Gandhi reiterated his strong condemnation of the 1984 riots and stated, “I have publicly stated that what happened in the 80s was wrong. I have been to the Golden Temple multiple times. I have extremely good relationships with the Sikh community in India.”
“As far as the mistakes of the Congress Party are concerned, a lot of those happened when I was not there, but I am more than happy to take responsibility for everything the Congress party has ever done wrong in its history,” Hindustan time reported.
Responding to the incident, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya stated that the Sikh man “reminded Rahul Gandhi of the baseless fear-mongering he indulged in during his previous visit to the US.” He described the moment as “unprecedented” and claimed that Gandhi is now being “mocked not only in India but globally.”