Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Wednesday, September 11 hit out at Rahul Gandhi for raking up the politically motivated caste census issue during his US visit.
“I’ve been saying again and again and again, we’re going to increase reservations beyond 50%,” the Gandhi scion had emphasised at the National Press Club in Washington DC on Tuesday (10th September) besides casting aspersions about Indian democracy, the state of free speech and the country’s economic progress.
Retorting strongly, Amit Shah took to X to assert that it has become a habit for the Congress leader to stand with “forces that conspire to divide the country”.
“Standing with forces that conspire to divide the country and making anti-national statements have become a habit for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. Whether it is supporting the JKNC’s anti-national and anti-reservation agenda in J&K or making anti-India statements on foreign platforms, Rahul Gandhi has always threatened the nation’s security and hurt sentiments,” Shah said in a post on X.
Rahul Gandhi’s statement lays bare the Congress’s 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’s anti-reservation face to the forefront. The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words. 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,” the Union HM added.
Standing with forces that conspire to divide the country and making anti-national statements have become a habit for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. Whether it is supporting the JKNC's anti-national and anti-reservation agenda in J&K or making anti-India statements on…
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) September 11, 2024
Shah’s strong response came to Gandhi’s remarks at an interaction with students at Georgetown University in the US. Responding to a question on reservation, Rahul Gandhi said, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place.”
During an interaction with the students and the faculty of Georgetown University in Washington DC, Gandhi said, “The elephant in the room is that 90 per cent of India — OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis don’t play the game…Caste census is a simple exercise to know how the lower castes, backward castes and Dalits are integrated into the system…Out of the top 200 businesses in India, there is almost no ownership of 90 per cent of the population of India. In the highest courts of the country, there is almost no participation of 90 per cent of India. In media, there is zero participation of lower castes, OBCs, Dalits…”
Hitting out at the Congress leader, the BJP alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s campaign to save the Constitution was a “charade” and his prejudice against reservation is out in the open.
Besides, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati also alleged that Congress did nothing for the deprived castes despite decades in power. She warned Gandhi’s “drama” proves that Congress has been “conspiring to end reservation for years”.
2. अब कांग्रेस पार्टी के सर्वेसर्वा श्री राहुल गाँधी के इस नाटक से भी सर्तक रहें जिसमें उन्होंने विदेश में यह कहा है कि भारत जब बेहत्तर स्थिति में होगा तो हम SC, ST, OBC का आरक्षण खत्म कर देंगे। इससे स्पष्ट है कि कांग्रेस वर्षों से इनके आरक्षण को खत्म करने के षडयंत्र में लगी है।
— Mayawati (@Mayawati) September 10, 2024
Union minister Chirag Paswan also expressed anger over Rahul Gandhi’s comments made on foreign soil. He accused him of defaming India.
Anurag Thakur also criticized Gandhi, emphasizing that such remarks undermine the positive global perception of India. “Rahul Gandhi should not go abroad and defame India. Due to the trust that the world has built on India, investments worth thousands of crores of rupees are coming to India”, Thakur was quoted as saying.
🚨 ANGRY CHIRAG PASWAN – "Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and speaks ill of India"
— Times Algebra (@TimesAlgebraIND) September 10, 2024
"It has become a habit of Rahul Gandhi to speak ill of the country"
"Rahul Gandhi should not go abroad and defame India. Due to the trust that the world has built on India, investments worth thousands… pic.twitter.com/NVceDfOOsO
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alleged Gandhi was “spoiling the image” of the country with his remarks, which he said was “equivalent to treason”.
The Gandhi scion is on a 3-day visit to the United States.
