Congress leader Udit Raj said that Rahul Gandhi could be “the second Ambedkar” for OBCs, and the remarks have invited allegations from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that he has insulted BR Ambedkar and the Dalit community. In a post on X, Raj on Saturday appealed to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to “think that history does not give opportunities for progress again and again.”
The Congress leader urged to “follow and support” Gandhi’s recent assertions at a function in Delhi.
“If they (OBCs) do so, then Rahul Gandhi will prove to be the second Ambedkar for them,” Udit Raj’s post read. In his post, he was purportedly referring to the commitment of Rahul Gandhi to a caste census, and his admission of not understanding OBC issues earlier.
“I didn’t protect the OBC community the way I should have,” Gandhi said at the function earlier.
Meanwhile, reacting to the remarks, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla called it insulting. According to an NDTV report, Poonawalla said, “Insulting Dalits and BR Ambedkar has become the Congress’ identity… Who insulted the ‘original’ Ambedkar? Who did not bestow the Bharat Ratna on him? Who did not let his Constitution be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir? Who spoke about Muslim reservation? Who said reservation is bad… Jawaharlal Nehru.”
“They want to become a second Ambedkar, not Nehru or Indira Gandhi? This means the Gandhi family is admitting Nehru and Indira Gandhi were on the wrong path,” he added.
What Did Rahul Gandhi Say?
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday admitted that not conducting a caste census during the UPA government was a mistake and said he is now determined to correct it.
Speaking at the ‘Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan’ of OBC at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi, he said he failed to understand the issues of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) community earlier, unlike those of Dalits, tribals, and women, where he claimed the Congress had done commendable work. “I think about my work, where I did well and where I fell short, and I see two to three things. Land Acquisition Bill, MNREGA, Right to Food, Tribal Bill, and Niyamgiri struggle — all these things I did well. As far as the issues of tribals, Dalits, and women are concerned, I should get good marks there. I did good work,” he said.
“One shortcoming remained in the Congress Party and my work, I didn’t protect the OBC community the way I should have. The reason is that I didn’t deeply understand the OBC issues at that time. Ten to fifteen years ago, I understood the difficulties faced by Dalits. Their issues are visible, they are easily understood, but the problems of OBCs remain hidden. If I had known about your issues and problems at that time, I would have conducted a caste-based census right then.
That was my mistake, which I am going to correct,” he said, adding that in a way, it’s good that it happened, because if I had conducted a caste-based census back then, it wouldn’t have been like it is today.
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