The Gandhi scion accused Modi of duplicity, saying the PM told the country in 2014 that he was an OBC but when the issue of “caste census” came up, the PM started claiming there were no castes in India, except “rich” and “poor”.Warning that “the entire BJP movement’s mission is to erase the history” of 90% population, he said the SC/ST/OBCs are being invisibilised from the country’s past including the freedom struggle, and their real history has to be planted afresh.
Congress Drags Modi to EC For ‘Infiltrators’ Remarks, Blasts ‘Wealth To Muslims’ Comment
“I am not interested in caste, but am interested in ‘nyay’. In India, 90% are facing terrible injustice and I didn’t even say that we will take any action. I just said let’s find out how much injustice is happening. What is objectionable about it?” Rahul asked, adding, “but look at the media and Modi. As I used the word X-ray, everyone started saying this is an attempt to divide the country. How will an X-ray divide? All patriots should like this.”
The speech at “samajik nyay sammelan” organised by Samruddha Bharat Foundation upped the party’s stakes in its recently crafted muscular social justice policy. Rahul posited “caste census” at the heart of the Congress agenda and, in the same breath, suggested that the party’s tilt towards SC/ST/OBCs is behind the fresh BJP hostility towards Congress. While he did not touch upon the PM’s claims linking Congress to “redistribution of wealth”, his “I have not even suggested any action but …” remark appeared a bid to pit social justice against PM’s communal pitch in the ongoing Lok Sabha battle.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Rahul by alleging that “BJP poses the biggest danger to SC/ST/OBC/women/minorities” with its “threat to end reservation”.
Continuing the arguments he has proffered in recent times, Rahul said the mass media has negligible participation of SC/ST/OBCs, which results in anything good for the latter being dubbed as “non serious or divisive”. He said the media used to call him “non serious” which rendered the causes he espoused- Land Acquisition Act, Niyamgiri protests, Bhatta Parsaul, NREGA – “non serious”, while “Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Virat Kohli became serious”. He said barely 100 judges out of 650 in the high courts are from 90% population, and most do not manage to reach the apex judiciary, while 200 biggest corporations are neither owned by SC/ST/OBC nor have them in the top management.