Singhvi strikes discordant note on Rahul's 'jitna abaadi, utna haq' slogan, says will lead to majoritarianism

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Abhishek Singhvi on Tuesday struck a discordant note on Rahul Gandhi's pitch for 'jitna abaadi, utna haq' (rights proportionate to the population), saying it will "eventually culminate into majoritarianism" on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to tear into the theme for social justice.

Singhvi, however, deleted his post on 'X' soon after the Congress made it clear that it was his "personal view" and does not reflect the party's position which was explained in the Raipur Declaration of February 26 and the CWC resolution of September 18.

The now deleted post read, "equality of opportunity is never the same as equality of outcomes. People endorsing #jitniabadiutnahaq have to first completely understand the consequences of it. It will eventually culminate into majoritarianism."

Congress OBC Department head Captain Ajay Yadav told reporters that what Singhvi said was "not party line" and he would not respond to people who deviate from the party line. He said the Congress line is to ensure the poor and deprived get their rights.

Soon after, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh made the party's disapproval officially through a post on 'X', "Dr Singhvi's tweet may be a reflection of his own personal view but in no way does it reflect the position of the Indian National Congress — the essence of which is contained both in the Raipur Declaration on 26th February, 2023 and in the CWC Resolution of September 18th, 2023."

The post by Singhvi, who heads the legal team that fights against the now suspended conviction of Rahul in a defamation case, surprised the party as he was part of the CWC resolution that was adopted in Hyderabad last month. With Rahul making the pitch for representation as per population, it was unexpected that Singhvi would sing a different tune.

The timing of the post also made Congress uncomfortable as Modi has been attacking the Congress over its 'jitna abaadi, utna haq' slogan. In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana in the past two days, Modi has asked the Congress to clarify whether rights can be given in proportion to population and asserted that poor people have the first right over the country's resources.

Singhvi later sought to play down his comments saying he did not take a different stand and that they all have supported it and will continue to do so. "All the court orders (on the issue) say that the decision has to be taken on the basis of facts. How will that happen if there are no facts? So, for facts, it is essential for caste census to take place," he was quoted by ANI as saying.

Rahul had renewed the pitch for 'jitna abaadi, utna haq' on Monday when he responded to the release of Caste Survey findings of Bihar. He had said it proved that 84 per cent of people in Bihar are OBCs, SCs and STs and their rights should be according to their population.

With Singhvi set to retire from Rajya Sabha in April next year, a section in the Congress alleged that he was taking a position that is in line with Trinamool Congress, which is opposed to Caste Census.

He had last won on a Congress ticket from West Bengal with the help of Trinamool. This section alleged that Singhvi eyes another term and Trinamool could offer him another term.