Rahul Gandhi in US: Amid criticism over his alleged anti-reservation remarks, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi issued a clarification, expressing his support for increasing the reservation cap beyond the current 50 per cent.
In an interview given at the National Press Club in America, Rahul Gandhi stressed, “Yesterday someone misrepresented my statement that I am against reservation. But let me make it clear – I am not against reservation. We will take the reservation beyond the limit of 50 percent.”
Rahul Gandhi’s comment on reservation
The controversy arose from comments made by Rahul Gandhi during a session with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington DC, where he highlighted systemic inequalities.
Gandhi had said that the Congress would “think of abolishing reservations when India is a fair place”, and he also said that India was not a fair place at the moment.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, “The issue is that 90 per cent of India’s people – OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis – do not play sports.”
Gandhi elaborated that the caste census is important to understand how lower castes and Dalits are integrated into social institutions, noting their lack of representation in top professions, the judiciary and the media.
Gandhi also said, “We want to understand what their social and financial condition is… We also want to have a look at Indian institutions to find out about India’s participation in these institutions.”
He further stressed that Bharat Bloc wants to protect the Constitution and most of the alliance partners agree on conducting caste census. He said that every business in the country should not be run by ‘two businessmen’.
Rahul Gandhi’s comment on Sikhs
Addressing a gathering of hundreds of Indian Americans in Washington DC on Monday, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for its alleged discriminatory views towards certain religions, languages and communities.
The Congress MP stressed that the conflict in India is beyond politics, saying, “The fight is about whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear a turban or a kada in India. Or whether he, as a Sikh, will be able to go to a gurdwara. That is what the fight is about. And not just for that, but for all religions.”
BJP’s reaction on Rahul Gandhi
The statements of the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha have evoked sharp reactions from BJP leaders including Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Yogi Adityanath, who have accused him of making anti-national statements abroad, especially in his role as the Leader of Opposition.
