During his recent tour of the United States, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi took part in an interactive session at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, where he answered several audience questions. One question came from a young Sikh student about the 1984 riots and the Congress party's efforts to reconcile with the Sikh community. The student accused the Congress of having individuals like "Sajjan Kumar" in their ranks. Sajjan Kumar was convicted for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, where many Sikhs were killed in Delhi.

In response, Gandhi explained that he was not part of the Congress at the time of the incident, but he was more than willing to take responsibility for any wrongs the party has committed throughout its history. He also emphasized that he has repeatedly stated that the events of the 1980s were wrong.

The student also referenced Gandhi’s previous statement during an earlier US visit, where he mentioned the struggle over whether Sikhs in India should be allowed to wear turbans. Gandhi clarified the context of his statement, saying, "I don’t think anything scares the Sikhs. What I meant was, do we want an India where people are uncomfortable expressing their religion?"

He further expressed his strong bond with the Sikh community, stating, "I have been to the Golden Temple multiple times, I have an extremely good relationship with the Sikh community in India and a loving relationship with them." Reacting to this, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya quickly criticized Gandhi, sharing a segment of the interaction and claiming that the young man’s comments highlighted that Gandhi had not reconciled with the Sikh community. Malviya also accused Gandhi of fear-mongering during his earlier US visit and suggested that the leader was being ridiculed both in India and internationally.