by Ajay Kumar
Is being Rahul Gandhi enough in Indian politics? The questions he asks others when someone asks him those same questions, why does he feel insulted? Could it be that he still hasn’t moved past the medieval feudal mindset? It’s true that Rahul comes from a family that ruled the country for decades post-independence with a feudal mindset. Their power was such that nothing moved in the country without their consent. State governments’ fortunes were made or broken at their command. Chief Ministers and governments were changed overnight. They imposed an emergency on the country in a royal manner, wrote the history of the country’s freedom struggle according to their whims, humiliated whom they wanted, and exalted whom they wished. This is why they insult freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar and harassed Subhash Chandra Bose.
The Congress party still lives with the notion that whatever they say is set in stone and cannot be questioned. What’s even more distressing is that some allies of the India coalition also agree with this, including the second-generation leader of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav, who fought against Congress all his life and was jailed during the emergency, has a son, Akhilesh, who becomes agitated when BJP leaders ask Rahul Gandhi about his caste. He shouts in the assembly about how Rahul Gandhi’s caste can be questioned, while Rahul and Akhilesh themselves leave no opportunity to question others’ caste to further their politics. Not long ago, both leaders were known for asking people, especially officials and media personnel, about their caste, but when a BJP leader indirectly asked about Rahul’s caste in the Lok Sabha, they jumped up. Without naming Rahul, BJP Minister Anurag Thakur sarcastically remarked in the Lok Sabha that those who do not know their own caste are demanding its enumeration. This statement offended Rahul and his team so much that they created a commotion. Congress and its allies’ leaders became uncontrollable inside and outside the parliament. Some Congress leaders even praised Rahul Gandhi’s immature politics of inquiring about everyone’s caste as his masterstroke. The question remains, if an immature leader goes around trying to know everyone’s caste, he should be ready to disclose his own, as BJP leader Anurag Thakur asked about Rahul Gandhi’s caste. Rahul Gandhi termed this sarcasm as an insult. This is the same Rahul who, a few days ago, was calling BJP leaders Duryodhan and Shakuni in the Lok Sabha. Earlier, he had said in a public meeting that Prime Minister Modi is not even an OBC, while many people do not even consider Rahul Gandhi as Hindu.
It’s a basic principle that one should not treat others in a way they do not want to be treated themselves, but Rahul Gandhi and some other leaders do not agree with this. The uproar in parliament over Anurag Thakur’s statement was nothing more than Rahul Gandhi venting his frustration and diverting public attention from the issue. It is ridiculous that Congress considered giving a notice for breach of privilege against the Prime Minister because he forwarded the video of Anurag’s speech. Anyway, the current chaos in parliament over caste was laid by Congress long ago. After independence, it was Congress that kept the British divide and rule policy alive. The outcome of caste politics is that society is getting divided. When leaders should be trying to move the country out of caste politics, some parties, especially Congress, are stoking caste politics to create division and enmity in society. They argue that caste enumeration will solve all problems and achieve social justice. If caste enumeration was so essential, why didn’t Congress do it during the decades it was in power at the center? The question is whether it is possible to solve issues like poverty, education, health, and employment without knowing people’s caste? Everyone is well aware that caste politics has divided society and created obstacles to social justice, yet some leaders continue to divide society for their political gain. The adverse effects of caste enmity are visible, but casteist leaders are unwilling to see or understand it. In our society, there should only be two classes—rich and poor, and we should focus on identifying them. Whether it is Congress, Samajwadi Party, or parties like RJD, their leaders talk about caste enumeration but fall silent when asked about caste differences among Muslims, as it would divide their vote bank. Immature leaders like Rahul Gandhi should understand that caste discrimination might advance their politics temporarily but it won’t last forever, as seen in the general elections.
(The author is a Senior Journalist at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh; views are his own)
