Mayawati Criticizes Rahul Gandhi and Congress on Reservation Policies
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 24: BSP Chief Mayawati launched a strong attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party, accusing them of having a hypocritical stance on SC, ST, and OBC reservations. She pointed out that while Rahul Gandhi supports 50% reservation in India, he talks about abolishing it abroad.
Mayawati took to social media to express her views, stating, “The SC/ST/OBC reservation policy of Congress and Rahul Gandhi is not clear but double standard and deceitful. In their own country, for their votes, they support reservation and advocate increasing it above 50% and when they go abroad, they talk about ending their reservation. People should be cautious of their double standards.”
She further criticized Congress for not implementing the Mandal Commission report on OBC reservation and for not passing the Constitution Amendment Bill for SC/ST reservation in promotions, which is still pending.
Mayawati also accused Congress of being an “anti-reservation” party for not conducting a caste census during its tenure and not properly pleading the case in court. She said, “The Congress government in the Centre did not conduct caste census and now raising voice after being out of power, if all this is not hypocrisy then what is it?”
Her comments came after Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on reservation during his visit to the United States. On September 9, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress party would consider scrapping reservations when India becomes a “fair place,” which it is not. He made these remarks while interacting with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and emphasized the need for a caste census, noting that 90% of the country’s population—OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis—lack proper representation.
Doubts Revealed
Mayawati -: Mayawati is a politician in India and the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). She has been the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a large state in India.
Rahul Gandhi -: Rahul Gandhi is a politician in India and a member of the Congress party. He is part of the Nehru-Gandhi family, which has been very influential in Indian politics.
Congress party -: The Congress party is one of the major political parties in India. It has been in power many times since India became independent in 1947.
SC, ST, and OBC -: SC stands for Scheduled Castes, ST stands for Scheduled Tribes, and OBC stands for Other Backward Classes. These are groups of people in India who have been historically disadvantaged and are given special reservations in education and jobs.
reservations -: Reservations in India are a system where a certain percentage of seats in education and jobs are set aside for people from disadvantaged groups like SC, ST, and OBC.
Mandal Commission -: The Mandal Commission was a group set up by the Indian government to identify the socially or educationally backward classes and recommend ways to improve their situation, including reservations.
caste census -: A caste census is a survey that collects data on the different castes in India. This helps the government understand the population distribution and make policies to help disadvantaged groups.