Maharashtra CM Shinde condemns Rahul Gandhi's remarks abroad on reservation
Sep 11, 2024
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 11 : Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde condemned the remarks on reservation made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to the US.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Shinde criticised Gandhi's remarks for speaking against reservation as he promised that the NDA government in the Centre and the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra will not allow cancellation of reservation.
"This is condemnable. Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar gave reservation through the Constitution, cancelling this reservation or saying so is an insult to the Constitution, an insult to Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar. I would say that whenever these opposition leaders go abroad, instead of saying good things about our country, they say bad things," Shinde said.
"The Prime Minister is giving new dimensions to our country and he dreams of making India an economic superpower. On the other hand, if Rahul Gandhi, despite being the leader of the opposition, despite being the prominent leader of the Congress, says such things about the country, then it is not right. Their anti-reservation face is coming to the fore. The people of the country, all those who believe in Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, will teach them a lesson," he added.
On September 9, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said that the Congress party will think of scrapping reservations when India becomes a "fair place," which it is not. The Congress leader was interacting with students and faculty at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
He also reiterated the need to conduct a caste census while saying that 90 per cent of the country's population--OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis--not having proper representation in the country is the "elephant in the room."
"There's an elephant in the room. When we talk about the capture of institutions, businesses, and the media, the elephant in the room is that 90 per cent of India--OBCs, Dalits, Adivasis--aren't even part of the game. That's the elephant in the room," Rahul Gandhi said. He further stressed that the INDIA bloc wants to defend the Constitution and most of the alliance partners agree on holding a caste census, adding that 'two businessmen' should not run every business in the country.
