Opinion | 'LoP'sided Rahul, NDA Allies' Qualms Impede Modi 3.0
NDTV
Continuing his pitch about the "threat to the Constitution", Rahul Gandhi visited Prayagraj on August 24 for the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan, organised by an NGO. His primary talking points were a caste census and opposition to lateral entry into government roles. However, the statement that made headlines was: "I checked the list of Miss India to see if there were any Dalits or Tribals in it; but there were no women who were Dalit, Tribal, or OBC." This followed his earlier query in Parliament about the number of SCs/STs/OBCs among the 91 Secretaries at the Centre.
Rahul's focus on caste issues contrasts with the fact that India currently has a tribal woman as President and an OBC as Prime Minister. Despite this, his remarks are being applauded on social media and by his party members, who believe he is effectively challenging the Modi 3.0 regime. The government's rollback of the lateral entry scheme came four days after Rahul's social media post criticising the scheme as "anti-national."
The Leader of the Opposition's attacks on Modi 3.0 are both political and illogical. Lateral entry into the middle and top echelons of the bureaucracy is a legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru, continued by Indira Gandhi and her successors, including Rajiv Gandhi.
