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In a heated exchange in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused BJP MP Anurag Thakur of “insulting and abusing” him during a discussion on the Union Budget. (Photos via PTI)
The Congress said BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s references to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s caste were “highly abusive” and “unconstitutional”
A day after BJP MP Anurag Thakur’s speech on the Union budget, there was ruckus in Parliament over his remarks about Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Caste politics peaked in the Lok Sabha as Congress MPs shouted slogans of ‘We Want Caste Census’, reaffirming its stand on conducting the survey that can provide a caste-wise tabulation of India’s population.
Livid over Thakur’s apparent questioning of Gandhi’s caste, the Congress called his speech a “highly abusive” and “unconstitutional tirade”. The party further alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in fact, has encouraged a “serious breach of parliamentary privilege” by sharing the speech on his social media.
Slamming the BJP, the Congress said the Gandhi family’s caste is martyrdom but the BJP-RSS will never understand that. President Mallikarjun Kharge said his party is ready to listen to any casteist abuse, but it is determined to get a caste census done.
“Yes, I am an Indian and a Dalit, but I don’t know how many we are. Yes, I am a tribal, but I don’t know how many we are. Yes, I am an OBC, but I don’t know how many we are. Today, we all need to assess how much our participation is in the progress of this country. The BJP-RSS people are conspiring to hide this from us, so that they can keep us backward and take over our rights by snatching reservation through conspiracies,” Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.
हाँ, मैं भारतीय हूँ और दलित हूँ, लेकिन मुझे नहीं पता कि हम कितने हैं। हाँ, मैं आदिवासी हूँ, लेकिन मुझे नहीं पता कि हम कितने हैं।
हाँ, मैं ओबीसी हूँ, लेकिन मुझे नहीं पता कि हम कितने हैं।
आज हम सभी को यह आँकने की ज़रूरत है कि इस देश की तरक़्क़ी में हमारी कितनी भागीदारी है।…
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 30, 2024
On Tuesday (July 30), Thakur sparked an ugly spat between the opposition and treasury benches when he questioned the Congress stand on caste census. He made certain remarks on Gandhi’s caste that triggered the uproar and had Congress MPs trooping into the Well of the Lok Sabha but the LoP later said he will not seek any apology from the former Union minister.
“Anurag Thakur insulted me and I don’t want any apology from him. Abuse or insult me as hard as you can but don’t forget we will pass the caste census in this Parliament for sure,” Gandhi said.
