The ongoing debate over the demand for a caste census, prominently advocated by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, turned personal in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. BJP MP Anurag Thakur sparked controversy by making a veiled reference to Gandhi, suggesting that those whose caste is unknown are calling for an enumeration.
Though Thakur did not explicitly name Gandhi, the Congress leader and his supporters interpreted the remark as a direct attack. Gandhi responded assertively, emphasizing that those who fight for the disadvantaged often face insults but remain undeterred by abuse.
During a Lok Sabha session on Monday, Gandhi criticized the government using the traditional ‘halwa’ ceremony and highlighted the lack of diversity in the Budget-making process. In response, the BJP accused the Congress of historically obstructing reservation policies.
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Continuing his critique on Tuesday, Thakur recounted various alleged scams under Congress governments and sarcastically questioned, “Rahul ji, you spoke about ‘halwa’ (sweetmeat). Who had the ‘halwa’ from the Bofors scam, from the Antriksh-Dewas scam, from the Commonwealth Games, National Herald, submarine, AgustaWestland, 2G, coal, urea, and fodder scams? Rahul ji, was the ‘halwa’ sweet or tasteless? Some people talk about OBCs, but for them (the Congress) OBC stands for ‘only for brother-in-law commission’. This party will talk about other backward castes?”
Thakur further derided Gandhi, calling him a “shahzada” (prince) and questioning his understanding of his role as Leader of the Opposition. “All I want to say is that he should stop spreading lies. There is a lot of talk about OBC and caste census. He whose caste is unknown is talking about a census?”
The comment caused an uproar among the opposition, prompting Gandhi to demand the right to respond, stating that he had been insulted. “You can insult me as much as you want, do it every day. But don’t forget that we (the opposition) will get the bill passed here (in Parliament),” Gandhi asserted.
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As another MP from the treasury benches suggested that Gandhi should disclose his caste, Thakur insinuated that Gandhi relied on notes to speak. “Politics can’t be done with a borrowed brain. You speak every time you get a note. You speak a little and then, after you get a note, you speak again… What I had said was that those who do not know about caste are talking about a census. I did not take any name, but look who stood up to answer,” Thakur sneered.
In his rebuttal, Gandhi reiterated his commitment to fighting for Dalits, tribals, and backward classes. Drawing a parallel to the Mahabharata, Gandhi likened himself to Arjun, focused solely on his goal of achieving a caste census. “Anurag Thakur has insulted me, he has abused me, but I don’t want an apology from him. I am fighting a battle and I will continue to do so. You insult me as much as you want, I don’t want an apology,” he declared.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, an ally of the Congress and part of the INDIA bloc, supported Gandhi and condemned Thakur’s remarks about caste. “He has been a former minister. He has spoken about a lot of things. How can you ask about anyone’s caste? You can’t do this,” Yadav fumed.
Thakur countered by recalling that Gandhi’s father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, had opposed OBC reservations, questioning the Congress party’s current stance on the caste census. “You have to decide whether he was right or you are right. Was your party wrong, or are you wrong? Was he against OBCs or are you for them?” he asked.
