Politics

Rahul Gandhi Speech Sparks Nirmala Sitharaman Viral Reaction Amid BJP Pushback

Everybody is talking about Nirmala Sitharaman’s embarrassing moment in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi brought up the customary pre-Budget “Halwa” ceremonial and the exercise’s lack of diversity, namely the exclusion of Dalits, Other Backward Classes, and Adivasis. In retaliation, the BJP said that the Congress has a history “replete with instances of obstructing reservation” for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes. The Leader of the Opposition has been critical of the government’s purported neglect of these groups. Additionally, it claimed that the Congress was “anti-Hindu.”

Mr. Gandhi said that just one officer from each of the country’s 20 budget preparation teams—one from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and one from a minority community—while holding up a photo of the “Halwa” ceremony. “The Indian budget was created by 20 officers, with only one OBC and one minority group. Although the budget halwa is being distributed, 73% of the population of the nation is left out,” Mr. Gandhi stated.

The Minister of Finance covered her face with her hands at this point. A nod of disapproval came next. The Congress leader was not unaffected by the response. “Laughing is the Finance Minister. It really is amazing. Madam, this is not anything to giggle about. This relates to the caste census. Mr. Gandhi declared, “It will transform the nation.” Mr. Gandhi stated that the budget’s only goal is to fortify the political monopoly that undermines democracy, the deep state, or the agencies, as well as the framework of large corporations.

In retaliation, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh shared photos of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation board members on X, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, P Chidambaram, and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and inquired as to which of them are OBC, SC, or ST. “Please review the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Board. “Identify OBCs, SCs, and STs for the Congress and its troll army to use,” he posted on X, enclosing a screen grab of the board members’ page from the foundation.

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Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP’s IT department, claimed that since independence, the Congress has been “anti-SC/ST and OBC”. “It was the Congress which kept (the) Kelkar Committee recommendation (for Backward Commission) made in 1957 in cold storage until PM Modi gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission in 2018, that too despite Congress’ opposition,” stated Malviya. Using the Mahabharata as a point of comparison, Rahul Gandhi criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Budget, claiming that fear was permeating the nation and that it was now stuck in a “Chakravyuh of lotus,” alluding to the BJP’s emblem.