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‘Against Dalit’: Dharmendra Pradhan accuses Congress of historical opposition to social justice
Dharmendra Pradhan said reservations exist today because of leaders like Ambedkar and Gandhi, claiming Nehru was strongly opposed to caste-based quotas.
A day after the Union Cabinet approved the inclusion of caste census in the upcoming national census, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched a sharp attack on the Congress, accusing it of historical opposition to social justice and caste-based reservations.
“When this decision was taken yesterday, some people were visibly agitated. They were saying ‘the government is theirs, but the system is ours.’ Now that the issue is finally being addressed, there should be an open discussion. The country deserves to know the truth. Who was in power in 1951? Who controlled the system then?” Pradhan asked while addressing a press conference on Thursday.
Pradhan said reservations exist today because of leaders like Ambedkar and Gandhi, claiming Nehru was strongly opposed to caste-based quotas.
“Jawaharlal Nehru’s thinking was well known. Had it not been for Babasaheb (BR Ambedkar) and Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi), had there been no concern for social sensitivity, had the Constituent Assembly not been consulted, there would be no reservations in the country today, because Nehru was staunchly opposed to caste-based reservation,” Pradhan added.
Pradhan said that the Janata government established the Mandal Commission in 1977 to promote social justice, adding, at that time, Jana Sangh, the BJP’s predecessor, was a part of the Janata Party, and prominent leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani were part of that government.
He questioned who was responsible for keeping the Mandal Commission report locked away for 10 years.
“In the government led by VP Singh, the Mandal Commission report was implemented on our (BJP) suggestion... Rajiv Gandhi has also given long speeches against OBC reservation... What can we expect from those whose social justice is limited to justice for their families? The Congress Party has always been against the deprived, tribal, Dalit, and backwards classes of the country. That is why their hypocrisy is visible today,” said Pradhan.
