On Saturday (24th August), Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi doubled down on his caste census plank. While demanding a caste census at an event in Uttar Pradesh’s Praygraj, Rahul Gandhi went a step further as he indulged in caste profiling of winners of beauty pageants. During the event, the Congress leader alleged that 90% of the population did not have representation in the system. He then brazened it out saying that when he checked the list of Miss India winners, he could not find any women from Dalit, tribal, or OBC community.
Earlier, the Congress leader did caste profiling of bureaucrats, judges, Ministers, media persons and on one occasion, his heated questions led to the near-lynching of a journalist.
“…I checked the list of Miss India to see if there would be any Dalit or tribal woman in it, but there was no women from Dalit, tribal or OBC. Still the media talks about dance, music, cricket, Bollywood but does not talk about farmers and labourers,” Rahul Gandhi was quoted saying by the news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi says, "…I checked the list of Miss India to see if there would be any Dalit or tribal woman in it, but there was no women from Dalit, tribal or OBC. Still the media talks about dance, music, cricket,… pic.twitter.com/D2mKNs4jzt
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2024
However, his remarks led to a field day for netizens who slammed the Congress leader for stooping to a new low and indulging in caste profiling of beauty pageant winners. Netizens questioned whether Rahul Gandhi is demanding reservations in the Miss India contest like govt jobs. Some of the X users also pointed out that his bizarre statement was factually incorrect, as many of the beauty queens from India are from minority communities.
BJP leader and National Secretary of the party’s youth wing – BJYM, Tajinder Bagga lashed out at Rahul Gandhi. Bagga listed out names of several Miss India winners who hailed from minority or socially backward communities. He added that had the Congress leader studied a little before making the statement, he wouldn’t have made himself a subject of ridicule.
Apart from sharing the names of 21 Miss India winners, Bagga wrote, “Rahul Gandhi is an idiot but if he had at least studied before making a statement, he wouldn’t have made himself a subject of ridicule. Let’s increase his knowledge a little. Miss India contest started in this country in 1947 and these sisters from minority communities became winners in it.”
राहुल गांधी बेवक़ूफ़ है लेकिन बयान से पहले कम से कम पढ़ाई कर लेता तो इतनी जग हंसाई ना होती | चलो इसका थोड़ा ज्ञान वर्धन कर देते हैं ।
— Tajinder Bagga (@TajinderBagga) August 24, 2024
इस देश में मिस इंडिया कांटेस्ट 1947 में शुरू हुई उसमे अल्पसंख्य समाज की ये बहने विजेता बनी
1947 Esther Victoria Abraham
1952 Indrani Rahman
1953… pic.twitter.com/eE7LtUuXV0
मैंने गाँधी परिवार की लिस्ट निकाली, उसमें एक भी दलित, अल्पसंख्यक नहीं https://t.co/3w8oboKFQs
— Ajeet Bharti (@ajeetbharti) August 24, 2024
Resorting to Rahul Gandhi’s logic, journalist and popular X user, Ajeet Bharti retorted to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks saying, “I made a list of Gandhi family, there is not a single Dalit or minority in it.”
Gem from #RahulGandhi, I checked the list of Bollywood and Miss India there is no SC, ST, OBC & Minority.
— Ganesh (@me_ganesh14) August 24, 2024
Though his data is wrong but have to say this guy has gone seriously mad to check caste in Miss India. God save Country from going this mad guys hand. #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/o6exmoBHso
Pappu is once again talking about caste nonsense, this time regarding Miss India winners.
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) August 24, 2024
This low-IQ idiot claims that not a single 'minority or SC-ST-OBC' has won, without checking the facts. But the truth is, they’ve won it dozens of times.
A few days ago, he was crying…
Rahul Gandhi is upset that there are no SC/ST/Dalit/OBC/Minorities in Bollywood and in Beauty Contests like Miss India.
— Rupa Murthy (@rupamurthy1) August 24, 2024
He is soon going to demand caste based reservations there as well.
Even if we disregard the stupidity of his assertions, unsure how we can defend the…
Another X user wrote, “Gem from #RahulGandhi, I checked the list of Bollywood and Miss India there is no SC, ST, OBC & Minority. Though his data is wrong but have to say this guy has gone seriously mad to check caste in Miss India. God save Country from going this mad guys hand.”
While several X users have pointed out that over a dozen women hailing from the minority community have become Miss India in the Independent history of India, it is pertinent to note here that Miss India is a beauty pageant in which the contestants are judged for their physical attributes and based on the answers to the few questions posed to them. There is no quota, reservation, or prohibitions in the beauty pageant for representation of any community. Moreover, this contest is held by a private organisation and the government has nothing to do with it.
Additionally, while a nationwide caste census has not been conducted for several decades, the Congress leader’s assertion that the SCs, STs, OBCs, and minorities comprise around 90% of the country’s population seems to be factually incorrect.
