In an attempt to counter the Congress’ recent pitch to other backward classes (OBC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the principal Opposition party of being anti-backward, citing its repeated attacks on him.
Addressing a poll rally in Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, a State dominated by tribals and OBCs, Mr. Modi said that the Congress “hated” the poor, Dalits, tribals, and OBCs. For the BJP, on the other hand, social justice was a way to ensure everyone’s participation and lay the foundation of a developed India, he said.
“This hatred of Congress towards Modi is because they are troubled as to how this person coming from a backward section of the society became the Prime Minister. They had reservation on the PM’s chair. That’s why they are not stopping from abusing the entire backward society in the name of Modi. Congress leaders think that even if they abuse this society, nothing will happen,” Mr. Modi said.
‘Hatred for OBCs’
Without naming Rahul Gandhi, Mr. Modi also brought up the issue of the former Congress president’s conviction in a 2019 defamation case, calling it another example of the Congress’ hatred for the OBCs. “Court punishes them for OBCs, yet they are not ready to change. This is an example of how much hatred there is for OBCs,” Mr. Modi said.
The case was based on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi against Mr. Gandhi’s alleged remark, “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” A Gujarat court sentenced Mr. Gandhi to two years in jail, leading to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha for nearly four months, but the conviction was stayed by the Supreme Court in August.
Caste census will help OBCs: Congress
Notably, Mr. Gandhi has adopted an aggressive posture on the issue of a caste census and OBC representation in his campaign speeches. Five days ago, Mr. Gandhi addressed a public meeting in Bilaspur during which he targeted Mr. Modi over the social justice plank.
“Caste census has to be conducted if we want to give participation to Other Backward Classes, Dalits, tribals and women. If Modi ji does not conduct a caste census, then when we are elected to power our first step will be to conduct a caste census to ensure OBC participation,” the Congress leader had said.
‘SC group humiliated by Congress’
Mr. Modi also cited the examples of the presidential candidates fielded by the BJP during its two terms: Ramnath Kovind, who hails from a Scheduled Caste (SC) community, and the current President Droupadi Murmu, a tribal woman. In Ms. Murmu’s case, he added that the candidate fielded by the Congress was a former BJP leader [Yashwant Sinha], which showed that its opposition to a “tribal daughter” was not ideological, he claimed
The PM further alleged that the Satnamis — a dominant SC community which accounts for 13% of Chhattisgarh’s population — had been humiliated by the Congress. “This is the old mentality of Congress that they cannot see any Dalit, backward or tribal moving forward. Only the one who attends the darbar of a particular family can get ahead,” he said.
At the Parivartan Mahasankalp rally in Bilaspur, which marked the conclusion of the BJP’s two Parivartan Yatras (tours for change), Mr. Modi said that Chhattisgarh was ready for change. He attacked the Bhupesh Baghel-led government in the State over issues such as corruption, tardy implementation of Central government schemes, and malnutrition
