The debate on caste continues in Parliament. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi protested against Anurag Thakur’s statement of ‘whose caste is not known’. However, Presiding Officer Jagdambika Pal talked about removing caste related statements from the record of Lok Sabha proceedings. Although the statement was removed from the proceedings, it was published on politics. After this, people again started discussing Rahul Gandhi’s statement about being a Kaul Brahmin of Dattatreya Gotra. It started to be calculated as to why this thing hurt Rahul Gandhi. However, be it Congress leaders or Rahul Gandhi himself, everyone unanimously said that they will continue to conduct the caste census, no matter how many abuses they have to face on caste.
Rahul Gandhi’s great grandfather, the country’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, was from the Kashmiri Pandit family. Everyone has information about his family tree. Indira Gandhi, daughter of Pandit Nehru and grandmother of Rahul Gandhi, married politician Firoz Jahangir Gandhi, a follower of Parsi religion. Rajiv Gandhi, son of Indira Gandhi and father of Rahul and former Prime Minister of the country, married Sonia Gandhi, a Christian. During the last elections, Rahul Gandhi also wore the sacred thread i.e. sacred thread while worshiping in the temple, which was visible to everyone. At the same time, when BJP raised questions about Rahul Gandhi’s caste and religion, Congress replied that Rahul Gandhi is a Kaul Brahmin of Dattatreya Gotra.
The issue of caste remained dominant from the streets to the Parliament. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also took this debate forward and said, ‘All this happened in the Lok Sabha and the non-biological Prime Minister did not say anything.’ At the same time, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi said that ‘Socio-economic caste census is the demand of 80 percent of the people of this country, but it was said in the Parliament that those whose caste is not known, they talk about enumeration.’
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinet went even further and called Anurag Thakur ‘Anurag Goli Maaro Thakur’ and said that I am not interested in knowing your caste. Shrinate said that you want to know the caste of Rahul Gandhi, whose great grandfather spent nine and a half years in jail during the freedom struggle of this country? Whose grandfather spent his life for this country? Whose grandmother and father martyred for this country? Whose mother is dedicated to this country even after hearing the stigma? And Rahul Gandhi himself? You have neither the moral standing nor the stature to stand before them.
If you want to know the caste of Rahul Gandhi then go and ask Ramchet Mochi, ask vegetable seller Rameshwar, ask Nirbhaya’s mother, ask the family of Gudiya of Hathras, ask the family of martyred Agniveers, crores of Dalits, deprived people, tribals, backward people. Ask whose rights they are fighting for. Take Rahul Gandhi’s name on the streets and see how this country showers love on its son and brother.
Central government minister Kiren Rijiju criticized Congress. Criticizing, he said that these people always talk about caste. Are there any castes of media persons or security personnel or soldiers? Will Congress leaders ask about their caste also? Samajwadi leader and MP Akhilesh Yadav also said that he will never forget the day when after vacating his CM residence, it was washed with Ganga water. The government talks about going to the moon and about Digital India, but in reality it does not want to come out of its prejudices regarding caste.
That is, while the opposition is adamant on caste enumeration, the government is against it. But the center of debate there as well as here is caste. Even in the coming elections, it does not seem that any political party will want to come out of this caste cycle.