PM Modi praised the Lok Sabha speech of former Union minister Anurag Thakur on the caste census. He praised him for effectively exposing the opposition INDIA bloc with a compelling blend of fact and humor.
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Anurag Thakur- Who is he?
Source: thestatesman.com
Anurag Singh Thakur was born on October 24, 1974, he is an Indian politician working with the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is currently a Member of the Parliament representing the Hamirpur constituency of Himachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha.
Modi’s Second ministry saw Anurag Thakur serve as the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs as well as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. His father, Shri. Prem Kumar Dhumal, has also served as Ex-Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.
Anurag Thakur earlier served as Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs. He first became a member of the Lok Sabha in May 2008 by winning a by-election as a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.
Hailing from a political family in Himachal Pradesh, Thakur has served as an MP four times continuously, representing the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Lok Sabha.
Anurag Thakur served as president, Board of Control for Cricket in India, from May 2015 to February 2017 when he had to resign in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling related to governance in the BCCI. He occasionally worked from West Bengal. On July 29, 2016 he was the first serving BJP Member of Parliament to be commissioned as a regular officer in the Territorial Army.
Anurag Thakur was also embroiled in a litigation between Government of Himachal Pradesh State versus Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association over the rights for the Dharamshala International Cricket Stadium.
He was at the center of controversies for his appointment as president of the BCCI, and finally, he had to leave the post on the directives of the Supreme Court. He was elected MP from the Hamirpur constituency of Himachal Pradesh for General Elections going to be held in 2024.
What did Anurag Thakur say in his speech in the Parliament?
“People who don’t disclose their caste are now discussing the caste census. I’d like to remind the Speaker that a former prime minister, RG-1, had previously opposed reservations for OBCs in this very House,” Thakur started the discussion, likely alluding to Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul’s father.
He also brought out the contradictions and inconsistencies of the opposition on the caste census issue and questioned their intent and commitment to social justice.
Anurag Thakur said that the BJP is always at the forefront of efforts to uplift marginal communities, pointing towards the various policies and initiatives implemented to ensure fair representation and equal opportunities for all the sections of the society.
Anurag Thakur explained that the caste census has a historical background and all the previous governments have either ignored it or mismanaged the whole issue. He accused them of politicising the caste census matter and in reality stated that it was not doing anything to help the cause of the deprived sections.
Anurag Thakur stated, “Real social justice does not lie in terms of oratory skills but in seamless action and sincerity.”.
Thakur did not flinch at the opposition’s criticism in his speech but hit back at their inconsistent stand on the issue, which betrayed their insincerity in the cause of social justice. He charged them with making political capital out of sensitive issues at the cost of the selfsame people whom they claimed to espouse.
Thakur’s impassioned address drew a mixed response, setting off a big debate in the Lok Sabha and putting on the radar, once again, the complex dynamics of caste and politics in India. While some members applauded his remarks and chorused his calls for unity and transparency, others challenged his assertions and defended their parties’ records on social justice.
It is a time when very deep divisions and perspectives, both of opinion and approach towards the nexus of caste-based inequality and discrimination which has ravaged this country for centuries, have come to the fore.
What did the PM say about Anurag Thakur’s speech?
PM Modi showered praise on his young and dynamic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur, on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “This speech by Anurag Thakur is a must hear. It is an exquisite blend of bauddhik and vyangya. Koi workers of the INDI Alliance will keep conscience and not be able to stomach this politics of deceit,” on Tuesday evening.
The PM’s endorsement came a day after objections from the Congress, the umbrella opposition alliance’s leading party, which questioned whether Thakur’s speech had been delivered ‘at the prime minister’s behest.’
How did the opposition react to PM Modi’s remarks about Anurag Thakur’s Speech?
Source:tfipost.com
The Congress alleged that by supporting Thakur’s speech, PM Modi had ‘encouraged a serious breach of Parliamentary privilege.’
What was the actual grouse of the Congress party was that the BJP leader had allegedly questioned Gandhi’s caste, although he did not take any names explicitly; this he later explained.
Reacting sharply to the former minister’s ‘enquiry’ about his caste, the ex-Congress chief, who has emerged as a strong proponent for a pan-India caste census, said that Thakur ‘insulted’ him. “Feel free to insult me as much as you want, but we, the INDIA alliance, will ensure the caste census is passed in this Parliament,” Gandhi declared.
“Whoever raises the issues of Adivasis, Dalits, and the backward classes is abused. I will take all the abuse. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha stated, ‘Anurag Thakur has demeaned and insulted me, but I do not require an apology from him.
Of the showpiece promises of the Congress party going into the general elections of 2024 was the caste census. The run-up to the polls saw Rahul Gandhi describe the initiative as an ‘X-ray of India’, touting it as intrinsic to understanding the social and economic structure of this nation.
Link to the X post by the PM Narendra Modi:
https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1818287081036386406?t=3yoS_hTmX-5NRt-TWS7PWA&s=08
