Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday took a dig at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and called him a “childish brain” for his remarks that there was no representation of Dalit, tribal women or other backward class communities in the beauty pageant Miss India.
Speaking at the Samvidhaan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj, Gandhi pointed to the lack of representation of Dalit, tribal women and demanded a nationwide caste census.
In a post on X, sharing a clip of Gandhi’s remarks, Rijiju said, “Now, he wants reservation in Miss India contests, films, sports! It is not just an issue of “bal budhi” but those who cheer him are equally responsible!”
The Union minister further said that the Congress leader cannot divide the country. Rijiju said, “Prime Minister @narendramodi ji has made it clear that Supreme Court will not be allowed to change reservation in recruitment of IAS, IPS, IFS, all top services. But he does not see the first tribal President, OBC Prime Minister, record number of SC/ST Cabinet Ministers!”
Speaking at the Samvidhaan Samman Sammelan, Gandhi also said that when the Congress forms the government, it will conduct a caste census and remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation.
“We will conduct a caste census and the 50 per cent cap on reservation, which I don’t accept, will be removed… First of all, we should have data regarding the participation of different castes in various institutions… There are always talks about reservations, but they never get a chance,” ANI quoted Gandhi as saying.
Gandhi said the India Alliance is demanding a caste census because 90 per cent of the population is being excluded despite having the required skills and talent.
“90 per cent of the people are not part of the system. They have the required skills and talent, but they are not connected to the system. That is why we are demanding a caste census.”
