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Amid the debate on reciprocal tarrif imposed by US President Donald Trump, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on second day of the AICC Session here in Ahmedabad warned that the economic typhoon is going to come and also called the contentious Waqf Act an “assault” on the Constitution and freedom of religion,
He also said that the party will demolish the wall that is restricting reservation to 50 per cent for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Schedule Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) while pushing for a caste census across the country.
The Gandhi scion while addressing the party leaders and workers here at the Sabarmati Riverfront said, “Waqf Bill (now Act) was passed by the BJP few days back. It is an assault on freedom of religion, Constitution.”
This was Rahul Gandhi’s, who is also the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, maiden public remarks on the Waqf issue as he dubbed the Bill as anti Constitution and anti religion.
The former Congress chief also brought up a now-deleted article in the Organiser, the mouthpiece of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, as he mentioned that how “soon after (the Bill’s passage), they (RSS) write that they are going to attack the land of Christians, then they will go to Sikhs”.
“So you don’t think that you have not been attacked. We want every community, religion, language should get respect and place in the country. We want the country to belong to everyone,” the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli said.
Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party MP from Kerala’s Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had faced criticism for not participating in the Waqf Bill debate in Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi also skipped the voting on waqf Bill in Parliament and the Ahmedabad meet because she is abroad after informing the party leadership.
Mentioning about the caste census exercise taken up by the Congress led Telangana government, Rahul Gandhi said, “In Telangana, Revanth Reddy’s government carried out caste census. And 90 per cent of the population consists of OBCs, extremely backward classes, Dalits, extremely marginalised Dalits, minorities, and tribals. But if you look at Telangana’s corporate sector, check the list of owners, CEOs, and senior management, you won’t find a single person from this 90 percent population segment.”
“There is almost no participation of this 90 per cent in Telangana’s corporate sector…I am happy that immediately after the caste census, our Chief Minister and our team in Telangana increased the OBC reservation to 42 per cent,” the Congress leader said.
Targeting the BJP-led NDA government at the centre, Rahul Gandhi said that he had asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament to conduct a caste census.
“I wanted to know who had what share in this country and whether this country truly respected the tribal, Dalit, and backward communities,” he said.
He said that Modi and the RSS refused the caste census because they don’t want to reveal the share that minorities get in this country.
“I told him that we would pass the caste census law in the Parliament right before you,” he said.
He also accused the BJP of attacking all the institutions and said that whereever the poor, Dalits, marginalized used to get space are being closed.
“Earlier all caste youth can go to armed forces and they used to get all the benefits but the government ended it. Government now a days says that if you die during war and you are an agniveer then you won’t be declared as a martyr,” he said, adding that it shut the door for general, dalit, SC, ST.
He even mentioned that how PSUs earlier used to be there and all caste people could go there and get jobs and opportunities. “But one after another, all those PSUs are being shut. Now few businessmen are getting the benefit as all the ports, mines are bein given to them,” he said.
Slamming the Prime Minister for his silence on reciprocal tax imposed by US, the Congress leader said, “Modiji went to US and this time you won’t see any picture of the two friends hugging each other. Trump said that we won’t hug each other but will put tariff on India.
“It is reality that economic toofan (typhoon) is going to come. Crores of people will face consequences. Where is Modiji hiding?” Rahul Gandhi asked.
He then fuether mentioned that how Bangladesh president gives statement and Modiji doesn’t speak anything. “Where did the 56 inch chest went,” he asked adding that how Indira Gandhi had once said that she neither leans to left or right but remains straight.
“But the current Prime Minister remains silent,” he said.
