"As Long As BJP Is There...": Amit Shah On Rahul Gandhi's Reservation Comment

The BJP today launched an all-out attack on Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the US, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh joining the party's offensive against the Congress leader's reservation remark.

Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi's remarks, Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said it has become a habit for the Congress leader to stand with "forces that conspire to divide the country".

"Standing with forces that conspire to divide the country and making anti-national statements have become a habit for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. 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," Mr Shah said in a post on X.

"Rahul Gandhi's statement lays bare the Congress's politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences. By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul 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," he added.

"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that as long as the BJP is there, neither can anyone abolish reservations nor can anyone mess with the nation's security," the Home Minister said.

Mr Shah was responding to Mr Gandhi's remarks at an interaction with students at Georgetown University in the US. Responding to a question on reservation, Mr Gandhi replied, "We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place and India is not a fair place."

The BJP responded by alleging that the Congress's leader campaign to save the Constitution was a "charade" and his prejudice against reservation is out in the open.

Opposition to reservation is Rahul Gandhi's legacy, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said, saying that former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were also against caste-based reservation.

Mr Prasad said other members of the Opposition's INDIA bloc -- DMK chief M K Stalin, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and leaders of the Left parties -- should speak out on Mr Gandhi's remarks.

"I want to warn (people) that if the Congress tries to tamper with the provision of reservation in any way or scrap it, the BJP will vehemently oppose it," he said.

The BJP's offensive against Rahul Gandhi also needs to be seen against the backdrop of the upcoming Assembly polls in key states such as Maharashtra and Jharkhand. The party, which is on the backfoot after its Lok Sabha poll score dropped this time, wants to use Mr Gandhi's remarks to project the Opposition as anti-reservation in an attempt to swing voters.   

Mr Gandhi's remarks during his three-day US trip, in which he repeatedly targeted BJP and its ideological parent, has drawn a sharp response from the ruling party. 

Mr Gandhi also said the "fear of BJP" had vanished after the Lok Sabha poll results. "Within minutes of the election result, nobody was scared of the BJP and the Prime Minister of India. These are huge achievements, not of Rahul Gandhi or Congress, but of the people of India who realised we are not going to accept an attack on the Constitution," he said.

In response, BJP's Gaurav Bhatia told the media, "Everyone knows that Rahul Gandhi is an immature and part-time leader. But people have put a huge responsibility on his shoulders since he became the Leader of Opposition. But I feel sad to say that Rahul Gandhi is a black spot in Indian democracy. He does not even know what to talk about when he visits a foreign country."