In the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, what began as a debate over the demand for a caste census, strongly advocated by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, quickly turned personal. BJP MP Anurag Thakur intensified the discussion by remarking that the calls for a caste survey are coming from individuals whose own caste remains unknown. This comment added a provocative edge to an already heated debate.
Even though Thakur didn’t mention anyone by name, Gandhi and the crew interpreted Thakur’s non-specificity as an assault directed towards him. Immediately interrupting the latter’s discourse, Rahul made it visibly apparent that no amount of insults thrown by the BJP would hinder neither him nor his company from bulldozing the caste census bill inside Parliament.
Thakur brought up several alleged scandals linked to Congress governments, asking who gained from the Bofors scandal, Antriksh-Dewas scam, Commonwealth Games, National Herald, submarine deals, AgustaWestland, 2G, coal, urea, and fodder scandals. He questioned whether the ‘halwa’ from these scandals was sweet or bland and criticized Congress for claiming to support backward castes, implying that for them, OBC really stands for ‘only for brother-in-law commission.’
This “halwa” comment referred to an earlier analogy by the Leader of the opposition about the government where he likened the traditional halwa ceremony with the absence of diversity in Budget making procedures. In response to this analogy, Bjp pointed out past incidents when Congress reduced reservation programs.
Maintaining his vigorous tone, Thakur remarked that the “shahzada” (prince) from the congress party should not lecture them. He emphasized that the title LoP stands for Leader of the Opposition, not Leader of Propaganda.
Given another chance to speak, Rahul Gandhi aimed the BJP, asserting that those who advocate for Dalits, tribals, and backward classes often face insults. Drawing a parallel from the Mahabharata, Gandhi likened his focus on the caste census to Arjun’s unwavering aim at the eye of the fish.
As the opposition benches demanded an apology from Anurag Thakur for his remarks, Rahul Gandhi made it clear that he was not seeking any apology. However, he stood firm despite attempts to insult him.
Samajwadi Party Leader Akhilesh Yadav further condemned Thakur’s indignation and asked how one could even remotely defend such a statement regarding caste. His anger boiled over as he declared that as the previous minister always talking about different things in this country, it wasn’t right to question someone’s caste like that.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spotlighted BJP leader Anurag Thakur’s speech in the Lok Sabha, where Thakur delivered a strong rebuttal to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s address. Modi emphasized that Thakur’s speech was a “must-hear”.
On X(formerly known as Twitter), the Prime Minister shared a clip from Thakur’s speech, noting its funny and factual combination. He praised the speech for exposing the disingenuous foreign policy approaches of the INDI Alliance.
Mallikarjun Kharge, President of the Indian National Congress, also took to X to make a statement. He highlighted his identity as an Indian, a Dalit, a tribal, and an OBC, and is uncertain of the totality of people in these communities. Kharge underscored that these communities’ contributions to nation-building should be critically assessed.
He accused the BJP and RSS of conspiring to keep these groups backward and undermine their rights by removing reservations under false pretenses. According to Kharge, the BJP and RSS adhere to Manusmriti rather than the Constitution of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and aim to perpetuate ancient social injustices.
Kharge stated that a caste census is essential for the social, economic, and political empowerment of marginalized groups in addition to equal chances and participation. He denounced the Modi-led government for subverting it while vowing the Congress party would continue advocating it even at the risk of casteist insults.
