In the face of intense criticism for comments interpreted as being against reservations, Congressman Rahul Gandhi said today that his party will “accept reservation beyond the limit of 50%.” “Yesterday someone misrepresented my statement that I am against reservation. But let me make it clear – I am not against reservation. We will take reservation beyond the limit of 50 per cent,” he said during an interview at the National Press Club in the US.
The controversial remark was made yesterday in Washington, DC, during a conversation with Georgetown University’s staff and students.
The Congress will “think of ending reservation when India is a fair place,” he said, and added, India is not a fair place at the moment.
“The elephant in the room is that 90 per cent of India — OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis don’t play the game,” Mr Gandhi had said.
“Caste census is a simple exercise to know how the lower castes, backward castes and Dalits are integrated into the system…Out of the top 200 businesses in India, there is almost no ownership of 90 per cent of the population of India. In the highest courts of the country, there is almost no participation of 90 per cent of India. In media, there is zero participation of lower castes, OBCs, Dalits,” he said.
Then, explaining the idea behind the caste census, he said, “We want to understand what their social and financial position looks like…We also want to look at the Indian institutions to have a sense of India’s participation in these institutions.”
However, the BJP accused Mr. Gandhi of routinely making anti-national statements overseas after his remarks on these and other matters sparked a firestorm at home. The party claimed that because he is now the Leader of the Opposition, this is a more serious matter.
“Rahul Gandhi’s statement lays bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences,” said Union minister Amit Shah.
“By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’s anti-reservation face to the forefront. The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words,” he added.
“Rahul Gandhi’s statement lays bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences. By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’s anti-reservation face to the forefront. The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words,” he added.
