'Muslims have 56 castes, Christians 86, you want to give them...': Nishikant Dubey challenges Rahul Gandhi on caste census in Karnataka

BJP's MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey has once again launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his stand on caste census, saying if the latter is determined to do caste census, he should first implement it in Karnataka. Dubey also attacked Gandhi for claiming injustice to OBCs. BJP's firebrand MP said that the Congress, for decades, has opposed reservation for the OBCs and it has never made an OBC Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. 

"I want to ask Congress and all the opposition to answer how they will conduct a caste census for those who have no faith in religion or caste," Dubey said while speaking in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. 

"In Congress manifesto of 1952, 1957, 1962, 1969, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1991, they stated they were against OBC reservation. Congress has never made an OBC Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh. Congress has never made an OBC Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh. Except for Daroga Ra, Congress has never made an OBC Chief Minister in Bihar. You sidelined Daroga Rai when he provided reservations (to OBC). In 1977, when Charan Singh wanted to give reservations, you toppled his government. In 1989, you toppled VP Singh's government and brought in Chandra Shekhar," Dubey said in a direct attack on Congress. 

The Goadda MP, who recently accused the JMM-Congress government of allowing demography change in Jharkhand, challenged Rahul Gandhi, asking why his government did not implement caste census in 2011. He also asked why the Congress government was not implementing a caste-based census report, which has already come out, in Karnataka. 

"If you have the strength, why couldn't you implement the OBC reservation from 2011? If you have the strength, why hasn't the socio-economic reservation in Karnataka, where your government has been in power for the past two years, been implemented?" he asked. "It hasn't been implemented because Islam and Christianity do not talk about caste, and you want to give OBC reservations to 86 Christian castes and 56 Muslim castes through the back door." 

"Therefore, you lack the capability, and that's why you talk about the caste census. If you have the courage, if Congress and Rahul Gandhi have the courage, let them implement OBC reservation in Karnataka," Dubey said. 

The BJP MP said the Prime Minister of this country is from a backward community, a tea-seller, and "when he talks about security, and when he talks about an OBC government, you start talking about OBC." Therefore, he said, Congress has no right to talk about OBC. "The Prime Minister has set an agenda like Krishna, and you are all scrambling around. All the opposition political parties are like Kauravas, shouting OBC...OBC."

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Health Minister JP Nadda slammed Gandhi over OBC representation in the government. Sitharaman said if the Congress governments in the past had acted on the recommendations of the Kalelkar Commission and Mandal Commission that recommended reservation for OBCs, officers from that community would have reached the secretary level. 

The Finance Minister asked Rahul Gandhi how many OBCs were there on the Board of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. "Charity begins at home. What you are telling others to do, you should first do yourself. I am asking, how many SCs are there in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation? How many OBCs are there? There are 9 people, but not a single SC. First, correct your system, give it to SCs, then come and ask us. In the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, there are five people on the board of trustees, but I do not see a single SC."