'False, misleading': Mayawati rejects Rahul Gandhi's clarification on 'ending reservations' remark

BSP chief Mayawati said Congress neither implemented OBC reservation nor SC/ST reservation properly. (PTI)

Amid an ongoing controversy over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks pertaining to “ending reservations” in India during his interactions in the US, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati termed the grand old party’s claim to conduct a caste census in India a “hogwash” and warned people from deprived communities to beware of the “conspiracy” by the grand old party.

Talking to students at the prestigious Georgetown University in the US, Gandhi had said, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place." As the remarks sparked controversy, Rahul clarified that his remarks were misrepresented and that neither he nor his party was against reservations.

Claiming that Rahul Gandhi was making misleading statements about reservation, Mayawati said his own party did not let the Bill on SC/ST reservation in promotions pass during its 10-year rule at the Centre.

The Congress talks about the "neglected" classes of SC, ST and OBC when not in power but when in power, it works "against" their interests, she further alleged.

"Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's clarification that he is not against reservation is clearly a misleading and false statement. During the 10 years of his active participation in the government before the BJP came to power at the Centre, he, along with the SP (Samajwadi Party), did not let the Bill for SC/ST reservation in promotions pass," Mayawati posted in Hindi on X.

Mayawati further said that the Congress’s claim that it would increase the reservation limit in the country from 50 per cent if it comes to power is a "hoax" as it failed to do so when in power.

The Congress neither implemented OBC reservation nor SC/ST reservation properly, the BSP chief said in a series of posts.

"It is clear from this that when the Congress is not in power, it talks big about the welfare and interests of these neglected SC/ST/OBC for the sake of their votes, but when it is in power, it continuously works against their interests. People should be cautious of this conspiracy," she added.

Mayawati's BSP is officially neither a part of the BJP-led NDA nor the Opposition INDIA bloc, whose key participants include the Congress and the SP.

‘Congress conspiring to end reservation’

On Tuesday, Mayawati claimed that the Congress was conspiring to end reservation and asked people belonging to the deprived sections to be cautious in the wake of his "dangerous" statement.

She was reacting to Gandhi's remarks that Congress will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place, which is not the case right now.

"Now it (Congress) is dreaming of coming to power under its cover (of doing caste census). Beware of their drama… Congress will never be able to conduct caste census in the future," she said on X.

"Now also beware of this drama of the supreme leader of the Congress party, Shri Rahul Gandhi, in which he has said abroad that when India will be in a better condition, they will end the reservation of SC, ST and OBC. It is clear from this that Congress has been conspiring for years to end their reservation," she said.

Asking people belonging to deprived sections to beware of this 'ghatak' (dangerous) statement given by Gandhi, she said, "As soon as this (Congress) party comes to power at the Centre, it will definitely end their reservation. These people (of reserved category) must be cautious of this party which is pretending to save the Constitution and reservation."

"In reality, Congress has been anti-reservation from the very beginning. The reservation quota (of reserved category people) was not fulfilled in their government at the Centre. BR Ambedkar resigned from the post of law minister because he did not get justice from this (Congress) party. People should be cautious," she added.

(With PTI Inputs)