Kiren Rijiju criticises Rahul Gandhi’s ‘no SC/ST in Miss India’ remark with ‘bal budhi’ comment
PTC News Desk: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday for his remarks questioning the lack of representation from marginalized communities in the Miss India beauty pageant.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rijiju commented, “Now, he wants reservations in Miss India competitions, films, sports! It is not only an issue of ‘Bal Budhi’ (childish mentality), but the people who cheer him are equally responsible too!”
Now, He wants reservations in Miss India competitions, Films, sports! It is not only issue of “Bal Budhi”, but people who cheer him are – equally responsible too!
बाल बुद्धि मनोरंजन के लिए अच्छी हो सकती है पर अपनी विभाजनकारी चालों में, हमारे पिछड़े समुदायों का मजाक न उड़ाएं। pic.twitter.com/9Vm7ITwMJX— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 25, 2024
Rijiju further emphasised that while childish behavior might be seen as entertaining, it should not be used to undermine or ridicule backward communities through divisive tactics.
This criticism came in response to Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments against the Narendra Modi-led Central government, where he noted that there were no women from Dalit, Tribal, or OBC communities among the finalists of the Miss India beauty pageant. Gandhi made these remarks while reiterating his call for a nationwide caste census, arguing that such a census is essential for effective policymaking.
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“I checked the list of Miss India to see if there would be any Dalit or tribal woman in it, but there was no woman from Dalit, tribal, or OBC backgrounds. Still, the media talks about dance, music, cricket, Bollywood but does not talk about farmers and laborers,” Gandhi stated during a Samvidhan Samman Sammelan event in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Rahul Gandhi, who previously served as Congress president, argued that a caste census would provide crucial data needed to shape policies that ensure equitable representation and resource distribution.
During the campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party included in its manifesto a promise to conduct a nationwide socio-economic caste census. This proposed census aims to enumerate various castes, sub-castes, and their socio-economic conditions, should Congress come to power.
Additionally, in an election rally in April, Rahul Gandhi pledged that a Congress-led government would conduct a financial and institutional survey to assess the distribution of wealth across different segments of the population.
However, these promises have faced strong opposition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who alleged that the Congress would allocate the nation’s wealth to “infiltrators” and “those who have more children,” a statement that sparked significant backlash from opposition parties.
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