PM Modi slams Cong on quota

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress on Monday, accusing it of consistently opposing reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Speaking during an online interactive session with booth-level BJP workers in Jharkhand as part of the ‘Mera Booth Sabse Majboot’ initiative, Modi cited an old advertisement from the Congress era to back his claims.

Referring to the advertisement, which he claimed was shared on social media, the PM expressed shock at its content. “Today, I came to know about an old Congress advertisement from the time of Rajiv Gandhi’s leadership. It depicted SCs, STs, and OBCs in a negative light, suggesting that giving reservations to these communities would harm the country’s progress,” Modi said, underlining his criticism of the party’s past stance on affirmative action.

The Prime Minister went on to allege that for decades, the Congress party actively suppressed voices advocating for the rights of marginalized communities.

“From the time of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi, the so-called ‘royal family’ of Congress was staunchly against reservations,” Modi asserted.

He added that under Congress rule, from Panchayat to Parliament, the issue of reservations was not raised, implying that the party ignored the needs of disadvantaged communities.

Modi also suggested that Congress’ attitude towards reservations only changed when the SC, ST, and OBC communities united and began to assert their rights.

“It was only when people began to understand the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the marginalized communities came together that Congress started losing its dominance,” he said.

“Since then, they have not been able to form a full majority government at the Centre, and now, they are ruling only in a few states.”