Congress leader Rahul Gandhi
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka BJP on Saturday lodged a police complaint against Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his alleged remarks on Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
A team from the BJP’s state unit visited the High Grounds police station in Central Bengaluru during the day and submitted a written complaint.
In the complaint, HV Manjunath claimed that the Congress leader made the remarks during his recent address at Georgetown University, USA, and they were “not only condescending but also profoundly offensive to the dignity and identity of millions of citizens belonging to the OBC community.
“It is important to note that while addressing issues of caste and governance, Rahul Gandhi questioned the legitimacy and credibility of the OBC classification in the country, specifically referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"His remarks carried an underlying tone of disrespect toward the OBC community and their rights and struggles recognised by the Constitution of India, 1350, portraying it in a manner that undermined its contributions to Indian society. This is not only an attack on the Prime Minister's caste background but also a broader attempt to denigrate the OBC community as a whole,” Manjunath alleged.
“Additionally, Rahul Gandhi during his speech has used a disparaging tone towards the OBC Community. Rahul Gandhi's statements implied a lack of respect for individuals from the OBC community, and his speech can be interpreted as an attempt to diminish the stature and contributions of an entire section of the population based solely on their caste.”
The complainant claimed that Gandhi’s comments were intentionally made to “provoke discord through inflammatory remarks.”
“The circulation of such inflammatory remarks to a global audience, particularly through social media, magnifies their potential to incite unrest,” Manjunath. "Rahul Gandhi's attempt to portray SC, ST, and OBC communities as systematically marginalized victims of exclusion is not only factually incorrect but also inflammatory."
A well-placed police source told DH that the complaint was acknowledged but a First Information Report (FIR) was yet to be registered as on Saturday evening.