Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of “spreading lies” about a remark that he had made in the United States about the condition of Sikhs in India.

A few hours later, the BJP cited a statement jointly written by several Sikh and gurdwara management bodies, urging Gandhi to withdraw the comments, reported The Hindu.

Speaking at an event organised by the Indian diaspora in Washington DC on September 9, Gandhi had criticised the Rashtriya Swayasevak Sangh for treating some religions, languages and communities as inferior to others.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also voiced concerns about the treatment of religious and linguistic minorities in India.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is the parent organisation of the BJP.

“First of all, you have to understand what the fight is about,” Gandhi said. “The fight is not about politics. That is superficial.”

Gandhi then addressed a Sikh member of the audience, saying: “The fight is about whether he as a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India or a kada in India. Or he, as a Sikh, is going to be able to go to gurdwara. That’s what the fight is about. And not just for him, for all religions.”

The comments were branded by several BJP leaders and Union ministers as “anti-national”.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri accused Gandhi of trying to set a “dangerous narrative” and pointed to the Congress’ alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, which were triggered by the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

Gandhi on Saturday said: “I want to ask every Sikh brother and sister in India and abroad – is there anything wrong in what I have said? Shouldn’t India be a country where every Sikh – and every Indian – can freely practice their religion without fear?”

At a press conference a few hours later, BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that members of several Sikh religious bodies had met Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai to discuss Gandhi’s comments.

Sirsa claimed that Gandhi had angered the Sikh community. “I believe Rahul Gandhi will respect Sikh sentiments and retract his statement,” he said.