Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on case census, SC/ST, and other backward communities.
While replying to the Motion of Thanks to President Droupadi Murmu's address in the Parliament, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi cited Telangana's population study and said almost 90 per cent of the people are either Dalit, adivasi or backward or minority.
Rahul Gandhi said he was convinced that the story was the same across the nation. "The OBC population of the country is not 1 less than 50%...If we look at the largest corporates in this country, none of them are owned by OBCs, Dalits or Tribals," the Congress leader said in the Lok Sabha.
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He added that any new development paradigm has a key factor and that is the architecture of a new paradigm. "That architecture of the new paradigm can only be built once the caste census is placed on the table," Rahul added.
{{/usCountry}}He added that any new development paradigm has a key factor and that is the architecture of a new paradigm. "That architecture of the new paradigm can only be built once the caste census is placed on the table," Rahul added.
{{/usCountry}}Further, the LoP said that there are OBC, Dalit, and Adivasi MPs in the Bharatiya Janata Party. "Remember, OBCs have 50% of the population and you have absolutely no power. I know that you're sitting there and you cannot even open your mouth. That is the truth of the country," Rahul said.
‘Is he blind?’
Rijiju slammed the Congress leader and said he has only been talking about SC, ST, OBC in the last 2-3 years. "Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is the biggest OBC face in the country. Can he not see that? PM of the country is an OBC. He is the most popular leader in the world. Can he not see that? Is Rahul Gandhi blind?"
The union minister said that he himself is a Scheduled Tribe (ST) and is working as India's parliamentary affairs minister. "MoS Arjun Ram Meghwal is working as the Law Minister, he is an SC. Can't he see that?" Rijiju asked while speaking to news agency ANI.
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Rijiju asked whether the Congress party has ever made a tribal or Dalit the law minister of the nation, or have they ever made an OBC the prime minister. "I think Rahul Gandhi doesn't know what he says," the Union minister added.
Rahul Gandhi also attacked the Centre over the “presence of Chinese troops in Indian territory,” attributing it to the “failure of Make-in-India initiative”. He said the nation needs to completely focus on production and also spoke about technology, artificial intelligence, and the Constitution. The Congress leader's remarks drew ire from the BJP-led NDA side of the House.
(With ANI inputs)