'Congress made me CM thrice': Gehlot backs Rahul against BJP's attack over OBC insult

'When did he (Rahul) insult OBCs? Are Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi OBCs?'

Seeking to puncture BJP's attack against Rahul Gandhi on the OBC plank, senior Congress Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said what bigger message is there for the OBCs than him becoming Rajasthan Chief Minister thrice as he advised people not to fall into the saffron party's provocation.

Addressing the Sankalp Satyagraha at Rajghat here in solidarity with Rahul Gandhi who was convicted and disqualified from Lok Sabha, Gehlot asked whether Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who fled the country after cases of loan fraud were registered against them, were OBCs and that the BJP was trying to save them by claiming that Rahul insulted OBCs.

Also read | 'If Lalit, Nirav criticised, why is BJP pained?' asks Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge

Recalling the 2017 Gujarat Assembly election campaign, Gehlot said Modi raked up the issue of a Congress leader calling him 'neech' (lowly) when his party was about to lose the polls. He had then said that he was OBC and that he was attacked, the Chief Minister said adding that Congress leaders would tell what all he brought up during the campaign.

He said BJP president J P Nadda has now announced a campaign from April targeting Rahul saying that he has insulted the OBCs. "When did he insult OBCs? Are Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi OBCs? Are you trying to save thieves and telling them that Rahul Gandhi has insulted OBCs? They are trying to play the same cards they played in Gujarat," he said.

Gehlot said Congress has always stood for tribals, Dalits and OBCs while citing that Rajiv Gandhi made it clear that his priority is tribals and the poor when he became the Prime Minister.

"Now to mislead OBCs, you are running a campaign...Am I not OBC? I have been made Chief Minister thrice by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi is present here...You will be happy to know that I am the only member from my community in the Assembly and I was made Chief Minister thrice. What bigger message does OBCs need? Isn't Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel an OBC?" he said.

Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "difference between words and deeds. In 1992, the Congress government implemented the Mandal Commission. In 2006, the Congress government made a provision for reservation for OBCs in higher education. During 2011-12, the caste census of about 25 crore families was done by the Congress government whereas BJP has stopped the caste census."