Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not born into an Other Backward Class household and is misleading people by claiming to be an OBC.
Gandhi, speaking briefly on the third and last day of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Odisha, stated that Modi was born into a general caste household. “Modi ji has misled the public by claiming to be an OBC. He was born into a family from the ‘Ghanchi’ caste, which was added to the OBC list during the BJP government’s tenure in Gujarat in 2000. Following his election as Gujarat’s Chief Minister, he changed his caste to OBC. Therefore, Modi ji is not an OBC by birth,” the Congress MP asserted.
Gandhi had previously stated in his speech that Modi belonged to the Teli caste, but later clarified that he meant the Ghanchi caste. The former Congress president also said that the prime minister will never undertake a caste census in the country, which is necessary to establish social justice.
“Most people are denied social justice. Only the Congress Party would conduct the caste census and establish social justice in India, Gandhi stated. The Congress leader stated that anytime he discusses social justice and a caste census, Modi refers to the country’s two castes: affluent and poor.
“If there are two castes, which one do you identify with? You are not poor; you change clothes numerous times during the day and then claim to belong to the OBC category. “The Prime Minister does not shake hands with OBCs, but hugs billionaires,” Gandhi claimed.
He further stated that a conspiracy was underway in the state to seize tribal land. The only difference between the BJP and the BJD (Odisha’s ruling party) is a P’ and a D’; everything else is identical. “They’re two sides of the same coin,” the Congress leader stated.
Gandhi, dressed in a white t-shirt, resumed the yatra on Thursday from Jharsuguda’s Old Bus Stand and drove to Kissan Chowk in an open vehicle. He was joined by AICC leader Ajoy Kumar and OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak. After travelling around 200 kilometres in Odisha, the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra entered adjoining Chhattisgarh.