New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is against reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and his prejudice against the provision came out in the open during his interaction with students of Georgetown University in the US, the BJP said on Tuesday.
The BJP's accusation came after Gandhi told the students at the university that the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when "India is a fair place", which he said is not the case right now.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Rahul Gandhi, who pleads and claims to be saving the Constitution, has said in America that he (his party) will scrap reservation when the conditions so warrant a fairness." With this, the prejudice against reservation which Rahul Gandhi has in abundance got reflected in America, the former Union minister said, and alleged the Congress leader's campaign to save the Constitution and save reservation is nothing but a "charade".
Opposition to reservation is Rahul Gandhi's legacy, Prasad charged, saying that former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were also against providing reservation to the members of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
He also targeted the opposition INDIA bloc and asked DMK chief M K Stalin, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and leaders of the Left parties to break their silence on Gandhi's remark. "I want to warn (people) that if the Congress tries to tamper with the provision of reservation in any way or scrap it, the BJP will vehemently oppose it," he said.
Prasad said it was not an "off-the-cuff comment" that Rahul Gandhi made on the issue of reservation. "It's a well thought out strategy and conspiracy" of the Congress to scrap the provision of reservation on getting such an opportunity, he alleged, adding, "The Congress is anti-reservation. It opposes the interests of Dalit, Adivasi and OBCs."
Meanwhile, BSP chief Mayawati on Tuesday claimed that the Congress is conspiring to end reservation and asked people belonging to the deprived sections to be cautious in the wake of his "dangerous" statement. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister was reacting to Rahul Gandhi's remarks that Congress will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place, which is not the case right now.
The BSP chief said the Congress never implemented OBC reservation nor conducted caste census when it was in power. "Now it is dreaming of coming to power under its cover (of doing caste census). Beware of this drama of theirs (Congress), which will never be able to conduct caste census in the future," she said on X.
"Now also beware of this drama of the supreme leader of the Congress party, Shri Rahul Gandhi, in which he has said abroad that when India will be in a better condition, they will end the reservation of SC, ST and OBC. It is clear from this that Congress has been conspiring for years to end their reservation," she said.
Asking people belonging to deprived sections to be beware of this 'ghatak' (dangerous) statement given by Gandhi, she said, "As soon as this (Congress) party comes to power at the Centre, it will definitely end their reservation. These people (of reserved category) must be cautious of this party which is pretending to save the Constitution and reservation."
"In reality, Congress has been anti-reservation from the very beginning. The reservation quota (of reserved category people) was not fulfilled in their government at the Centre. BR Ambedkar resigned from the post of law minister because he did not get justice from this (Congress) party. People should be cautious," she added.
