PM Modi caste row: Following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's caste, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Narhari Amin, who was holding the post of Deputy CM in the then Congress government of Gujarat in 1994, has also made a big revelation refuting Wayanad MP's claim.
Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi sparked controversy by claiming that Prime Minister Modi does not belong to the Other Backward Caste (OBC) community and instead belongs to the general category.
What did the then Deputy CM say?
The BJP leader strongly rebuked Rahul Gandhi's statements stating that the Congress leader is insulting the OBC community by cooking up mindless lies on this issue. Amin highlighted that he was serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat in the Congress government when the Gujarat administration officially classified Modh-Ghanchi as OBC on July 25, 1994.
Taking to 'X', Narhari Amin, former Congress leader, said, "I was serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat in the Congress Government when GoG notified Modh-Ghanchi as OBC on 25th July 1994. This is the same caste our respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi belongs to. Rahul Gandhi is insulting the OBC communities by cooking up mindless lies on this issue."
He asserted that the decision to grant OBC status to Modi's caste occurred when Modi was not even an MP/MLA. "This decision, and the subsequent GoI notification came when Narendra Modi was not even MP/MLA forget being CM. I demand Rahul Gandhi immediately withdraw his lies. He should stop defaming OBCs and also apologise to the people of Gujarat for being filled with hate towards our popular Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
'PM not born OBC'
Rahul Gandhi had alleged that PM Modi used to say that he is an OBC but when the demand for a caste census was made, he stated that there are only two castes — the rich and the poor. "When the time came to give rights to OBCs, Dalits, tribals, Modi ji says there are no castes, and when it is time to get votes, he says he is an OBC," Gandhi claimed.
Reiterating his party's pitch for a caste census, Gandhi said, "If Modi ji says there are only two castes - poor and rich - in the country, then how come he became an OBC... Modi ji was not born as an OBC. Modi ji's caste ghanchi was included in the OBC (list) in 2000 by the then BJP government in Gujarat. Your PM was not from the OBC. He keeps on identifying himself as OBC, but he was not an OBC, rather he was from the general category caste," he claimed while addressing a gathering at Rengalpali village in Chhattsigarh's Raigarh district during his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.'
OBC on paper: Rahul Gandhi thanks BJP
Later, Rahul Gandhi thanked the BJP for “confirming” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not born in an Other Backward Class family, as he claimed earlier in the day.
Gandhi’s reaction came after Union Minister Pralhad Joshi shared a gazette notification to show that PM Modi's OBC status was "recognised on Oct 27, 1999, two years before he became Gujarat's Chief Minister."
“The truth: Modi's OBC status was recognised on Oct 27, 1999, two years before he became Gujarat's Chief Minister. @INCIndia insults the OBC community yet again, but OBCs will deliver a resounding lesson in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls,” Joshi, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said in a post on X.
Soon after this, Rahul Gandhi also took to X and said: “Modi ji is not by birth but a 'paper OBC'. He was not an OBC till five decades after his birth. Thanks to the BJP government for confirming this truth of mine.”
'Sabse bada OBC'
This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently in Parliament called himself 'sabse bada OBC' (the biggest OBC) and accused the Congress of indulging in hypocrisy and adopting double standards while dealing with leaders of Backward communities. "Congress party and UPA government did not deliver justice with OBCs. A few days ago, Karpoori Thakur ji was conferred with Bharat Ratna. In 1970, when he became Bihar CM, what was not done to destabilise his government? Congress can't tolerate OBCs...They keep counting how many OBCs are there in the government. Can't you (Congress) see the biggest OBC here (pointing towards himself)?" PM Modi said in his reply to the 'Motion of Thanks' on the President's Address in Lok Sabha on Monday."
Also Read: BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhi over 'PM not born OBC' remark: 'This is a blatant lie'
Also Read: PM Modi lied about his caste, he was not born in OBC category, claims Rahul Gandhi
