Patna, Sep 12 (IANS): Prashant Kishor, the chief of the Jan Suraaj campaign, on Thursday criticised Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his alleged anit-reservation remarks, saying that he should clear the confusion on the issue.
“I suggest that Rahul Gandhi should clear confusion on the reservation issue as he keeps on shifting his statements which creates confusion about his party’s position on the reservation and broader social justice policies,” said Kishor.
LoP Rahul Gandhi - during a talk at Georgetown University in Washington DC - said that reservations may be “reconsidered” only when equal opportunities are guaranteed to everyone in India which, according to him, is not currently the case in the country.
Criticising LoP’s alleged stance, Kishore, added that Rahul Gandhi himself does not know what to say at one time. “During the Lok Sabha election campaigns, he advocated for increasing the 50 per cent reservation cap and emphasised the need for a caste census in the country. Now, he went to the US and withdrew his own statement,” Kishor said.
Prashant Kishor also criticised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his political alliance with the BJP, particularly regarding policies like the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Kishor accused Nitish Kumar of prioritising his political survival over standing up for the interests of the Muslim community, which has been largely opposed to these laws.
“I was in JD-U but Nitish Kumar expelled me from the party for opposing the CAA and NRC. Nitish Kumar is more interested in maintaining his alliance with the BJP than taking a principled stand,” Kishor said.
He also criticised the Muslim leaders within the JD-U for supporting a party which is backing laws that have caused discomfort within the Muslim community, including the Waqf law.
“Nitish Kumar has an alliance with the BJP which passed the CAA and NRC in the parliament. JD-U merely offers symbolic gestures, like making some Muslims MLCs or board members in Bihar, while not truly standing with them on issues that matter, such as during protests against these CAA, NRC and Walf laws,” he said.