Hyderabad: A year ago, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lied about being born in OBC category as he actually belongs to General caste.
On Friday, another Congress leader stirred a fresh controversy about Modi’s caste.
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy claimed that India’s Prime Minister does not belong to the backward classes by birth and that he was a “legally converted BC (Backward Class)”.
“I want to tell you one thing. PM Modi said he belongs to BC. PM Modi is not BC. He is legally converted BC. In 2001, before becoming the Chief Minister, his caste was among the upper classes in Gujarat. After becoming the Chief Minister, he merged that caste into BC. PM Modi was not born as BC. He was in the upper caste by birth. His certificate must be that of BC, but his mentality is anti-BC,” Revanth said at a Congress event in Hyderabad.
Revanth’s remarks drew a strong response from BJP leaders who opined that the chief minister’s comments were unbecoming of a person holding the state’s top post.
Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy even challenged Revanth for a public debate on whether the PM belongs to BCs or not.
“Revanth Reddy is making such comments out of impatience as Congress is losing public support in the state and across the country,” said Kishan Reddy, who is also Telangana’s BJP chief.
Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar asked Revanth whether he knows the caste and religion of Rahul Gandhi.
“He talking about the PM’s caste.. it is yet another desperate tactic to divert attention from the Congress party’s promise to provide 42 per cent reservation to the BCs,” Sanjay fumed.
“Now, what caste is Rahul Gandhi? What’s his religion? Does he know, or do you? His grandfather was Feroze Jehangir Gandhi. In Hindu tradition, caste follows the father’s lineage. If anyone wants to debate who is legally converted or not, maybe the Chief Minister should start from 10 Janpath,” the Union Minister tweeted.
“Revanth Reddy’s research failed so badly that he forgot the fact that PM Modi was listed as OBC when the Congress was in power in 1994,” Sanjay added.
BJP MP Etela Rajender asserted that those who commented about Modi’s caste earlier had met their electoral fates, and the same would happen to the Telangana CM.
“Revanth Reddy is saying that PM Modi is not a BC (Backward Class). But PM Modi transcends caste barriers. He is the pride of India on the global stage. Even the American President offers him a chair with great respect,” said Rajender.
Last month, Revanth had triggered a row by comparing Modi with medieval-era Turkish invader Mahmud of Ghazni at a Congress rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow.
