New Delhi: The Lok Sabha saw a heated debate on Tuesday as Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Anurag Thakur of “insulting and abusing” him, but added that he would tolerate all slights while carrying out his mission to fight for the backward classes and for a caste census in the country.
During a discussion on the Union Budget, Thakur had quipped: “A lot is talked about OBC and caste census these days. Jiski jaat ka pata nahi, wo ganana ki baat karta hai (One whose caste is not known is talking about caste census).”
Although Thakur clarified he had not named anyone, Gandhi jumped up thrice from his seat, demanding that he be given the opportunity to speak as Thakur had “insulted” him. Gandhi vowed that he could take any disparaging comment as he was fighting for a cause.
Referring to the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Gandhi said whoever raised the issue of Dalits, Adivasis and backward classes was abused. “I will gladly take all abuses, but like Arjuna in the Mahabharata, I can only see the eye of the fish. We need a caste census and we will get it done,” he said, adding that he did not want Thakur to apologise either.
The INDIA bloc had promised to carry out a nationwide caste census if the alliance came to power at the Centre.
‘No one can ask about caste’
During the discussion, Thakur said, “The one who does not know his caste talks about the census! I want to remind you that inside this very House, a former Prime Minister RG 1 (Rajiv Gandhi) had opposed giving reservation to OBCs,” Thakur said.
Ally and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sprang up immediately to charge at Thakur, “How can anyone’s caste be asked in the House? No one can ask about caste.”
At this, chairperson Jagdambika Pal, too, said no one should ask anyone’s caste in the House.
Thakur clarified he had not taken anyone’s name and defended his remarks by saying that Ram Nath Kovind and Droupadi Murmu, who came from the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, had gone on to become presidents of India.
Thakur said the BJP had the biggest representation of SC, ST and OBC ministers in the third Narendra Modi cabinet and that the prime minister himself was from the OBC community.
Before the caste remark, Thakur had also belittled Gandhi by saying the full form of LoP was Leader of Opposition, “not Leader of Propaganda”.
In another snide comment, Thakur said that for Gandhi, OBC meant “Only for Brother-in-law Commission”.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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