Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark on reservation. Gandhi is currently on a US tour where, while answering a question, Gandhi said that his party would think of scrapping reservation when India becomes a fair place.
“Rahul Gandhi’s statement lays bare the Congress’ politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences. By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’ anti-reservation face to the forefront. The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words,” Shah posted on X. “I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that as long as the BJP is there, neither can anyone abolish reservations nor can anyone mess with the nation’s security.”
BJP leaders have been at the forefront of attacking Rahul Gandhi calling it the real face of Congress on reservation.
“Rahulji’s claim that the NDA government wants to abolish reservation is also completely baseless. Our prime minister has strengthened the reservation system for the welfare and development of Dalits, backward classes and tribals,” Union defence minister Rajnath Singh posted on X.
BJP ally LJP leader and union minister Chirag Paswan said that Rahul Gandhi’s statement has exposed the mindset of the Congress party.
“The issue of reservation is an election slogan of Congress, from which we all need to be cautious. Despite being in power for a long time at the Centre, the Congress could neither conduct a caste census nor implement OBC reservation,” Paswan posted on X. “It is clear from this that the thinking of the Congress has been anti-reservation from the beginning. They blame others for the conspiracy to end reservation, while the reality is that this mindset belongs to these people only.”
BSP supremo Mayawati also criticised Rahul Gandhi over his statement.
“Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s clarification that he is not against reservation is clearly a false statement. This is proof that during his 10 years of active participation in the government before BJP came to power in the Centre, he along with Samajwadi Party did not let the SC/ST reservation bill in promotions get passed,” Mayawati posted on X. “…It is clear from this that when Congress is not in power, it talks big about the welfare and interests of these neglected SC/ST/OBC classes for the sake of their votes, but when it is in power, it continuously works against their interests.”