Prayagraj (UP): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he checked the list of former Miss India but found no Dalit, tribal, or OBC among the winners.
Gandhi made the remark during a 'Samvidhan Samman Sammelan' here, while pressing for a nationwide "caste census". The former Congress chief said that without the participation of "90 per cent" of its people, the country cannot operate.
"I have checked the list of Miss India, which did not have any Dalit, Adivasi (tribal) or OBC women. Some will talk about cricket or Bollywood. No one will show the cobbler or plumber. Even top anchors in the media are not from the 90 per cent," he said. "They will say Modiji embraced someone and we have become superpower. How have we become superpower when 90 per cent people has no participation?" he asked, attacking the mainstream media of the country.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP might say that he was trying to divide the country with his demand for a caste census. "We want to now how many in institutions, corporates, Bollywood, Miss India are from the 90 per cent. I am only saying that 90 per cent did not have 'bhagidari' and this should be checked," he said.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s comment, BJP National spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari said his remarks were “divisive” and “full of falsehood”.
Not long ago, just 2 years back, a tribal girl from Chhattisgarh, Miss Riya Ekka, won the Miss India title.
— Pradeep Bhandari(प्रदीप भंडारी)🇮🇳 (@pradip103) August 25, 2024
Rahul Gandhi's plan is divisive and it's full of falsehood pic.twitter.com/vMJXGRwBwX
Responding to Rahul’s comments, BJP leader Amit Malviya, too, tagged a Congress post on X and questioned if people can find one one person from SC, ST or OBC community in the pictures. Taking a swipe at Rahul’s comments, the leader said, politics of “balak buddhi” (childish intelligence) is a “fraud”.
चौवन वर्ष की अधेड़ उम्र का व्यक्ति मिस इंडिया की लिस्ट खंगाल रहा है, ये समझ आता है। लेकिन उसमें जाति ढूंढ रहा है, ये समझ नहीं आता। ये बालक बुद्धि राहुल गांधी की घटिया सोच को दर्शाता है। एक तरह का perverse sexism जिसके अनुसार SC/ST/OBC समाज की लड़किया मिस इंडिया जैसे कॉम्पिटिशन… pic.twitter.com/DuQvnSIL27
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 25, 2024
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, too, took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said: “Now, he wants reservations in Miss India competitions, films, sports! It is not only issue of “Bal Budhi”, but people who cheer him are – equally responsible too!” (With agency inputs)
