With the Lok Sabha 2024 elections in sight, Gandhi’s scion and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi have put the load of the nationwide social gathering, Congress, behind the demand for a nationwide caste census. For this, he has been elevating the slogan ‘Jitni Aabadi Utna Haq’, notably after the discharge of the Caste Census report in Bihar. However, outdated Parliament information present that Rajiv Gandhi had vehemently opposed this concept, and if he had been alive, he would have lambasted his son for elevating this demand, in response to a report in News18.
Additionally, his late father had even accused the then PM VP Singh of attempting to guide the nation into caste wars with the Mandal Commission report, an unique News18 report highlighted. The report famous that in 1990, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had advocated for a “casteless society” and urged the home to not let one man’s obstinacy result in a “caste war” in India.
However, following the route within the final two normal elections, the Congress social gathering – being stewarded by the Gandhi household has determined to show in the direction of the second version of Nineties Mandal politics, an strategy which their predecessors had opposed, the media portal highlighted primarily based on outdated Parliament information over this concern.
Evidently, on sixth September 1990, addressing the Lok Sabha, Rajiv Gandhi stated, “If you think back, it was in 1980 that the Congress under the leadership of Indira Gandhi, had raised the slogan ‘Na jaat par, na patt par’ (not on caste or creed).”
Apparently, the VP Singh authorities had accused earlier Congress PMs of sitting on the (Mandal) report.
News18 reported that it reviewed the Parliamentary speech the place the then Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rajiv Gandhi retorted sharply to then PM VP Singh when he was aggressively pushing the Mandal Commission report.
In the speech, Rajiv Gandhi advocated for a casteless society and asserted that no one in the home may deny that the removing of casteism was not a part of the nationwide objective. He additionally charged that VP Singh’s authorities revolves round caste and it’s inflicting a rift within the society. He maintained that caste politics may hurt and break India.
Rajiv Gandhi stated, “It is extremely sad that the thinking in this government revolves around caste…VP Singh is causing a rift in our society.” He said that the objective of the nation should be a casteless society and one should keep away from steps that take the nation in the direction of a caste-ridden society. He added, “Nobody in this House will say that the removal of casteism is not part of that national goal.”
In this 1990 speech in Parliament, Rajiv Gandhi shared an analogous view that PM Modi has been warning about that the problem of caste census quantities to divide the folks and the nation.
The then LoP, Rajiv Gandhi stated, “…the manner in which you have implemented the Mandal Commission, to me, it is breaking up my country. Even at this late hour, there is time to pull the country back from this caste division.”
He emphasised that the VP Singh authorities was making a “vested interest in casteism and the country is going to pay a very heavy price for this”, the News18 report added, citing outdated parliamentary information.
Moreover, he additionally requested why the federal government accepted caste as the only identifier. He famous that to take away backwardness and poverty, the home has to take a look at the basis explanation for the issue and provides equal alternative.
He stated, “We, the Congress, are in favour of a comprehensive action plan, an affirmative action plan for the backward communities. We need that. The problem cannot be solved by playing politics or by limited politically motivated manipulations.”
He lamented the truth is that caste counts for an incredible quantity on this nation. But what’s our objective? Is our objective a casteless society?
Launching a scathing assault in opposition to VP Singh for dividing the society on caste line, Rajiv Gandhi asserted, “The PM does not have the guts to stand up and say whether he believes in a casteless society or does not believe in a casteless society. It is very sad, sir.” He additional requested the home to not let one man’s obstinacy result in a caste struggle in India.
He stated, “I would like to appeal to this House, let us not have one man’s obstinacy holding India hostage, let that man’s obstinacy not lead to children getting killed, our children, Indian children getting killed on the streets.”
Concluding his speech, Rajiv Gandhi stated, “Socially and educationally backward classes need all the help they can get including reservation and the Congress will support you in that. We would like that to be targeted to the poorest and the weakest in the socially and educationally backward classes this the Congress Party has outlined in the Working Committee’s Resolution on August 30 this year.”
