Team News Riveting
New Delhi, September 11
Rahul Gandhi’s outspoken comments on issues ranging from India’s reservation system to the handling of China during his recent trip to the United States have drawn sharp reactions from key leaders in the BJP and beyond on Wednesday.
The development sparked a fresh wave of political controversy back home as Gandhi continues to position himself as a vocal critic of the current administration. His remarks have ignited a series of fiery exchanges with political heavyweights.
During his visit to the U.S., Rahul Gandhi made waves with a series of bold statements, one of which touched on India’s reservation system. Rahul told students at Georgetown University that Congress might consider scrapping reservations when ‘India is a fair place.’ The comment sparked outrage from BJP leaders, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah delivering a stern response.
Shah criticised Gandhi for what he saw as a direct attack on the rights of marginalised communities. “As long as the BJP is there, neither can anyone abolish reservation nor can anyone mess with the nation’s security,” Shah said.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati also weighed in on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about reservation. “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s clarification that he is not against reservation is clearly a misleading and false statement. During the 10 years of his active participation in the government before the BJP came to power at the Centre, he, along with the SP (Samajwadi Party), did not let the Bill for SC/ST reservation in promotions pass,” said Mayawati.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi labelled Rahul Gandhi’s meeting U.S. lawmaker Ilhan Omar as both ‘dangerous and mischievous.’ Omar is known for her critical stance on India. “It is for the first time in the history of India that a Leader of Opposition has met a declared anti-India lawmaker and expressed his sweet feelings,” Trivedi said.
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the Sikh community triggered a protest led by the BJP’s Sikh cell in Delhi. Addressing a Sikh attendee during a public event in US, Gandhi stated, “The fight is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India or a kada in India. Or he, as a Sikh, is going to be able to go to a gurdwara.”
The Delhi’s Sikh community accused Gandhi of misrepresenting the situation. Members of the Delhi BJP’s Sikh cell took to the streets, staged a protest near his residence at 10 Janpath and demanded an apology for what they deemed an inflammatory statement.
