‘As long as BJP is there…’: Amit Shah lashes out at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘reservation’ remarks

NEW DELHI: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday lashed out at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his remarks in the US on “reservations”.

Shah said that it has become a habit for the Congress leader to stand with “forces that conspire to divide the country”. Shah also stated that the BJP won’t let anyone abolish the reservation and hamper the nation’s security.

Taking to microblogging site X, Amit Shah wrote, “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 further alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s statements shows his divisive policies. Shah posted on X, “Rahul Gandhi’s statement lays bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences”.

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

Terming Rahul Gandhi as “anti-reservation,” Shah said that the BJP will not let anyone abolish reservations or mess with the nation’s security.”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”, Amit Shah wrote on his social media handle.

BJP leader Nalin Kohli accused Gandhi for standing with the ‘tukde-tukde gang’ and said he seems happy when he meets people who are “against India’s interests”.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, BJP leader Nalin Kohli said, “Every time Rahul Gandhi ji goes abroad he seems to give a clear signal that he is happy to meet those who are against India’s interests. He has been seen standing with the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang and also seems to be taking a stance with helps China”.

On Monday, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said that the Congress party will think of scrapping reservations when India becomes a “fair place”, which it is not. The Congress leader was interacting with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, on Monday (local time).

He also reiterated the need to conduct a caste census while saying that 90 per cent of the country’s population — OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis — not having proper representation in the country is the “elephant in the room”.

“There’s an elephant in the room. When we talk about the capture of institutions, businesses, and the media, the elephant in the room is that 90 per cent of India — OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis — aren’t even part of the game. That’s really the elephant in the room”, Rahul Gandhi said.

He further said that the Caste Census is a simple exercise to assess the participation of lower castes, backward castes, and Dalits stand since independence. On being asked about his stand on reservation, Rahul Gandhi said that the Dalits, Adivasis and OBC communities are still not getting participation in the system, adding that India is not a “fair place”.

“If you look at the Indian government, there are 70 bureaucrats who run the Indian government, secretaries to the government of India. These are the people who make almost all the financial decisions…Out of 70 people, there is one tribal, three Dalits, three OBCs and a minority. Ninety per cent of India in the government of India has access to less than 10 per cent of the positions that determine how money is going to be spent. When you look at the financial numbers, then tribals get 10 paise out of Rs 100, Dalits get Rs 5 out of Rs 100, and OBCs get a similar amount”, the Congress leader further said.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha further stressed that the INDIA bloc wants to defend the Constitution and most of the alliance partners agree on holding a caste census, adding that ‘two businessmen’ should not run every business in the country. (ANI)