PM Modi Praises Anurag Thakur’s Lok Sabha Speech on Caste Census, Lauds Use of Facts and Humor
New Delhi, 31st July 2024: Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur’s Lok Sabha speech on the caste census received praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who lauded Thakur for his effective use of facts and humour to critique the opposition INDIA bloc.
“This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must-have. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance,” PM Modi said on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday evening.
The Prime Minister’s endorsement followed the Congress party’s objection to Thakur’s speech, questioning whether it was delivered at the Prime Minister’s directive. The Congress party’s main issue was Thakur’s rhetorical question about Gandhi’s caste, even though Thakur did not mention any specific names, which he later clarified.
“Those whose caste is not known, talk about the caste census. I want to remind the Speaker that in this House itself, a former prime minister RG-1 had opposed reservation for OBCs,” Thakur stated, likely referring to Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi’s father.
Reacting strongly to Thakur’s comments, the former Congress president, who has been an advocate for a nationwide caste census, accused Thakur of insulting him.
“You can insult me as much as you like, but we (INDIA) will pass the caste census in this Parliament,” Rahul Gandhi responded.
“Whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit, and the backward, is abused. I will happily accept these abuses. Anurag Thakur has abused me and insulted me. But I do not want any apology from him,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha added.
The caste census was one of the Congress party’s major promises for the 2024 general elections. Before the polls, Rahul Gandhi had described the exercise as an ‘X-ray of India.’
