‘Why Modi calls himself OBC if there’s only one caste?’: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also accused the BJP of insulting tribals by referring to them as ‘vanvasi’ instead of ‘adivasi’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why the latter identifies himself as an Other Backward Class (OBC) member when he considers ‘poor’ as the only caste in the country.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses an election rally in Chhattisgarh’s Kharsia on Saturday. (Image posted on X by Congress)

Addressing a public meeting in Jagdalpur of poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Gandhi also accused the BJP of insulting tribals by referring to them as ‘vanvasi’ instead of ‘adivasi’, and said his party will eliminate the term ‘vanvasi’ from the country.

“PM Modi said in his speech that poor is the only caste in the country. We all know there is Dalit, adivasi, backward class in the country. If there is only one caste in the country, why does he call himself an OBC?” Gandhi said.

In another rally in Kharasia assembly onstituency, Gandhi said, “Today, Modi ji has said that there is no caste in the country … Since Modi ji became the PM, he regularly claims that he is OBC but when it comes to helping OBC by conducting caste census, then the PM says that there is no caste …There is nothing called caste.”

Gandhi said that it is shameful that a PM of this country claims that there is no caste but only poor.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Modi in his rally in Durg emphasised his dedication to serving the poor and said that for him the most important caste in the country is the poor.

Attacking the BJP-led Centre, Gandhi said, “What does Modi ji do? Give your land to Adani ji? Adani ji snatches your land and when you oppose, the BJP government fires bullets on you. Adanji ji acquires your land and mines. Does money (from them) reach the villages of Chhattisgarh or Bastar? The money goes to America. It goes abroad. Adani ji gets benefits from that money. BJP leaders get it (money). The money is used for elections.”

There was no immediate reaction from the Adani Group on Gandhi’s charges.

Gandhi further said that the Congress gives money to farmers, labourers and tribals which benefit them.

He added, “BJP leaders use vanvasi term for adivasi in their speeches. Narendra Modi and RSS have coined this new term “vanvasi”. There is a huge difference between vanvasi and adivasi terms. In Madhya Pradesh, a BJP leader urinated on a tribal youth and filmed the act, then made it viral...This is the mindset of the BJP. They think that your place is in the forest like animals, and they treat you like animals,” he added.

“Have you ever seen BJP leaders urinating on animals? But you have seen them urinating on an adivasi. Adivasi is a revolutionary word...Adivasis means original owners of the country. BJP does not use this word because if they do, they’ll have to return your land, water, and forests to you,” he said.

The word vanvasi is an insult to tribals and the Congress will not accept it, he said.

“Earlier, Modi ji used the word vanvasi in his speeches but now he avoids this word. He has changed his words, but he can’t change his thinking. His thinking is still to insult tribals,” Gandhi alleged.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, BJP claimed that it is an attempt to divide the country by raising the issue of OBC.

“Modi ji has rightly said that the poor are uniting and hence they are raising the issue of OBC … This is divisive politics,” said Sacchaind Upasane, BJP spokesperson.

Polling to the 90-member state assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and 17.

Jagdalpur constituency in tribal-dominated Bastar division is among the 20 seats, which will go to polls in the first phase while the remaining 70 constituencies will vote in the second one.