New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday stated that Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's prejudice against reservation has become clear.
He claimed that opposing reservation was part of Congress' legacy and accused the party of having a well-planned strategy to abolish it as soon as they got the chance.
Prasad emphasised that the "Congress is against reservation and stands in opposition to the interests of Dalits, tribals and OBCs".
The former Union Minister remarked that Rahul Gandhi often waves the Constitution, and a discussion can be had on his understanding of it.
Prasad’s statement came after Rahul Gandhi said in the US that the Congress would scrap the reservation when the situation was right.
"The prejudice in Rahul Gandhi’s heart against reservation has been reflected in his remarks in America. Opposition to reservation is his legacy. Jawaharlal Nehru in a letter had advised the Chief Ministers that merit shouldn’t be compromised. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi also openly opposed reservation. Rahul Gandhi, who claims to protect the Constitution, has committed the greatest fraud and deception against it," he said, adding: "The right to reservation, granted through the efforts of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, ensures opportunities for SC, ST, OBC and EBC in education and employment. SC and ST have reservations in both the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha."
Prasad stated that Rahul Gandhi must explain the meaning of his remark, and it is not just an off-the-cuff comment as he was responding to questions at an American university, not in a casual gathering in India.
"This is a well-planned strategy and conspiracy to scrap reservations when given the opportunity. The Congress party is anti-reservation, anti-Dalit, anti-tribal and anti-OBC, as they consistently oppose the interests of these communities," he said.
The Congress leadership position seems "reserved" for Rahul Gandhi because of his family, he said, questioning whether there is any space for Dalit, OBC, or Adivasi leaders to hold the top post in Congress, pointing out that regardless of performance, Rahul Gandhi remains the leader.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji comes from the OBC community and under the BJP's rule, there were two Presidents of India, including Droupadi Murmu from the Adivasi background and one (Ramnath Kovind) is from the Dalit community. The BJP does not just talk, we act," he said.
"Rahul Gandhi's true intentions have been exposed, his promise to safeguard the Constitution is merely a sham," Prasad stated, adding: "Congress' claims of respecting the Constitution were exposed when the party opposed the film named ‘Emergency’, which highlighted the dark period during the Emergency, where media was censored and the judiciary was superseded".
Rahul Gandhi consistently defamed India whenever he travelled abroad, Prasad alleged. "His mission was to demean, degrade, and insult the country, whenever he went abroad," said the BJP leader, slamming Gandhi for his apparent "affinity towards China".