Shah, Rajnath slam Cong, Rahul for standing with forces conspiring to divide India
Amit Shah said Rahul Gandhi’s statements lay bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts along the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences
Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh on Wednesday slammed Congress and Opposition leader (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi for standing with forces conspiring to divide the country, making anti-national statements and hurting India’s dignity with his comments during his US trip.
In a post on X, Shah said Gandhi’s statements lay bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts along the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences. “Whether it is supporting the JKNC’s anti-national and anti-reservation agenda in J&K or making anti-India statements on foreign platforms, Rahul Gandhi has always threatened the nation’s security and hurt sentiments,” Shah said, referring to Congress’s alliance partner National Conference in poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir and Gandhi’s comments during his four-day trip to the US.
He said by speaking about “abolishing reservations”, Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’s anti-reservation face to the forefront. “The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words.” Shah said neither can anyone abolish reservations nor can mess with the nation’s security as long as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is there.
Shah’s comments came as Gandhi said India was not a fair place and the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when it becomes one. Gandhi also triggered a political storm as he appeared to suggest that Sikhs in India were not allowed to practice their faith freely.
On Monday, Gandhi turned to a Sikh member of his audience in the US and asked for his name and then said, “The fight is about whether he, as a Sikh, is going to be allowed to wear a turban [article of faith] in India; or whether, he, as a Sikh, will be allowed to wear a kada [another aticle of faith]...or whether he, as a Sikh, is allowed to go to a Gurudwara. That is what the fight is about, and not just for him, but for all religions.”
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for running separatist Khalistani propaganda, cited Gandhi’s comments and said that the Congress leader has justified Sikhs for Justice’s referendum campaign by saying the fight in India is whether a Sikh will be allowed to wear articles of faith and go to Gurdwara.
Rajnath Singh called Gandhi’s “misleading and baseless” comments abroad extremely shameful. He referred to Gandhi’s comments on the Sikhs and said this was completely baseless. “The entire country recognises and respects the great role played by the Sikh community in protecting the culture of India. It is not befitting for an opposition leader to make such false statements about them.”
He said Gandhi’s claim that the government wants to abolish reservation is also completely baseless. “Our Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] has strengthened the reservation system for the welfare and development of Dalits, backward classes and tribals.”
Singh said Gandhi’s claims in the US regarding the India-China border dispute were also misleading and asked the Opposition leader refrain from making such false statements.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington DC, Gandhi said Modi did not handle China well and that the Chinese have occupied 4,000 square km of land equal to the size of Delhi in Ladakh.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Manickam Tagore hit back saying those advocating for national interest and reservations should first reflect on the history of BJP’s ideological fount Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s opposition to social justice. He added that Gandhi has consistently championed unity and equality, while the BJP and its ideological allies have done the opposite by dividing the nation. “The country knows who is really messing with India’s progress.”
Gandhi has sought to frame India’s domestic political competition as one between his vision based on respect for diversity of religions, languages, and regions and commitment to the Constitution, and the BJP’s vision that, Gandhi claims, is based on hierarchical social order and against the Constitution and diversity.
At an event at Washington DC’s Georgetown University, Gandhi reiterated his demand for a caste census and a socioeconomic survey to determine the material holdings that members from different castes possess. He called for an institutional survey to assess the caste composition of all structures and the extent of participation of all, including in education, health, and media.