Mayawati Criticizes Rahul Gandhi’s Remarks on Reservations
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 11: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati criticized Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, for his recent comments on reservations. She accused the Congress party of planning to abolish the reservation system and urged people from deprived sections to stay alert.
Mayawati stated, “Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi’s clarification that he is not against reservation is clearly a misleading false statement. This is proof that during his 10 years of active participation in the government before the BJP came to power in the Centre, he, along with SP, did not let the SC/ST reservation bill in promotions get passed.”
She further added, “Their (Congress) talk of increasing the reservation limit in the country from 50 per cent is also a deception, because if their intentions in this matter were clear, this work would definitely have been done in the previous Congress governments. Congress neither implemented the OBC reservation nor implemented SC/ST reservation properly.”
Mayawati emphasized that the Congress party only talks about the welfare of SC/ST/OBC classes when it is not in power but works against their interests when it is in power.
On Monday, Rahul Gandhi, while interacting with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, said that the Congress party would consider scrapping reservations when India becomes a “fair place.” He highlighted the lack of representation of OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in the country’s institutions and businesses.
Gandhi also stressed the need for a caste census to assess the participation of lower castes, backward castes, and Dalits since Independence. He pointed out that 90 per cent of India’s population has less than 10 per cent representation in key government positions.
He concluded by saying that the INDIA bloc aims to defend the Constitution and that most alliance partners agree on holding a caste census.
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 prominent Indian politician and a member of the Congress party. He is the son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
Reservations -: Reservations in India are a system where a certain percentage of government jobs and educational seats are set aside for people from disadvantaged communities like OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) -: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a political party in India that mainly represents the interests of the Dalits, OBCs, and other marginalized communities.
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.
Caste census -: A caste census is a survey that collects data on the different castes in India. This helps understand the population distribution and representation of various castes.
OBCs -: OBCs stands for Other Backward Classes. These are communities in India that are socially and educationally disadvantaged.
Dalits -: Dalits are people who belong to the lowest caste in India’s traditional caste system. They have historically faced discrimination and social exclusion.
Adivasis -: Adivasis are the indigenous tribal people of India. They are considered the original inhabitants of the country and often live in remote areas.
Georgetown University -: Georgetown University is a famous university in the United States, located in Washington, D.C. It is known for its programs in politics, law, and international relations.