"Reflected his political and family DNA": BJP on Rahul Gandhi's remarks on reservation

Rahul Gandhi. Pic/PTI

Lashing out at the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks on the reservation, Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla said that he has reflected his "political and family DNA" regarding the issue.

This comes amid the row over Rahul Gandhi's remarks. The Lok Sabha LoP during his visit to the United States, said that the Congress party will think of scrapping reservations when India becomes a "fair place," which it is not.

Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, "Rahul Gandhi has reflected his political and family DNA regarding reservation, on foreign land. He spoke about ending reservations by Ambedkar ji. His family did that. In 1961, Nehru Ji said that reservation is wrong. He had said that it makes people second-class. Rajiv Gandhi and Indira Gandhi opposed the Mandal Commission and its report. Rajiv Gandhi had said that those who are given reservations are fools."

"When UPA came to power, with ill intentions, the Congress party conspired to end the SC, ST, and OBC reservations and give them to a vote bank. They did this in Karnataka. It is happening in Bengal," he added.

Attacking the Congress leader further, Poonawalla said that ending reservations would also deprive the Valmiki, Gujar and Bakkarwal communities in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Today, when Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and says that reservation will be scrapped, it shows that he is reflecting the political character of his family and party...He should tell us that if he indeed committed to reservation, his ally NC says that Article 370 will be restored in J-K - it means that the reservation provided to Valmiki, Gujar, Bakkarwal for the first time due to PM Modi will be snatched away and distributed among vote bank. Rahul Gandhi should refute this and sever ties with the National Conference," he added further.

During his interaction with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, the Congress leader also reiterated the need to conduct a caste census and said 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 the elephant in the room," Rahul Gandhi said.

"The fact of the matter is they are not getting participation. The problem is 90 per cent of India is not able to play...We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place. Now, that creates a problem. There are people from the upper caste who say 'What have we done wrong, why are we being punished'" he further said in his address.

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