"Gandhi family burnt Punjab," says BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu

"Why should I regret it? We in Punjab have lost our generations. The Gandhi family burnt Punjab...I express my pain as a Sikh. I am a minister later, a Sikh first. If Gurpatwant Singh Pannun endorses it (Rahul Gandhi's statement) what will you say?" said Bittu.

When asked if he would apologise for his statement, Ravneet Singh Bittu said, "Kharge sahab should apologise. He should clarify if the Congress party agrees with Rahul Gandhi. You need to ask Sikhs. Bring any Sikh from the Congress party who is not allowed to carry a turban, wear kada and visit Gurudwara."

He added that such statements would create a communal divide in the country. "They want to radicalise Sikhs. They are pained when we point out Rahul Gandhi. Who will answer on what he spoke against Sikhs? We have worn the brunt in the past and they enjoy themselves sitting in Delhi and visiting abroad."

Notably, Rahul Gandhi triggered a political lash after he commented on the condition of the Sikh community in India. He had said that that fight in India as a Sikh was about whether he would be allowed to wear a turban or kada, or allowed to go to a Gurudwara.

Following this, Khalistani separatist leader Pannun came out in Gandhi's support calling it a "bold and pioneering statement grounded in the factual history of Sikhs since 1947" and that it "corroborates with Sikhs For Justice's stance on the justification of Punjab's Independence Referendum to establish Sikh homeland Khalistan."

Pannun has been declared a terrorist in India by the Ministry of Home Affairs over sedition and secessionism. He is the co-founder of the banned outfit SFJ.

In response to this, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu stoked a controversy by calling the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi a "number 1 terrorist".

"Rahul Gandhi is not Indian; he has spent most of his time abroad. He does not love his country because he goes overseas and criticises India. His words have been praised by separatists and those involved in making bombs and weapons. Those who try to blow up planes, trains, and roads are supporting Rahul Gandhi. He is the country's number one terrorist and the biggest enemy whom the agencies should catch," Bittu stated earlier. (ANI)