Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on reservation: Maharashtra BJP stages protest; Congress calls it drama

Maharashtra BJP protests against Rahul Gandhi's reservation remarks in U.S., Congress accuses BJP of spreading fake news.

Workers and leaders of Maharashtra BJP on Friday (September 13, 2024) held Statewide protests against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on reservation during his visit to the U.S.

While Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said it was necessary to stage a protest to tell people about Mr. Gandhi's mentality against reservation, Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat accused the saffron party of spreading fake news and doing "nautanki" (drama).

Mr. Gandhi, who is in the U.S., told students of Georgetown University that the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when “India is a fair place”, which he said is not the case right now.

During a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, the Leader of Opposition alleged that democracy in India for the last 10 years was broken, but now it is fighting back.

The BJP announced a Statewide protest over Mr. Gandhi's "anti-reservation" remarks. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra Housing Minister Atul Save staged a demonstration with party workers, carrying placards and raising slogans against Mr. Gandhi.

During the protest in Mumbai, BJP’s Dahisar MLA Manisha Chowdhary claimed the Congress has been opposing reservations from the days of late Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to Rahul Gandhi. “Mr. Gandhi’s “anti-reservation” stand is exposed,” she said.

Slamming the BJP for staging protests, Mr. Thorat accused the party of spreading fake news and doing "nautanki" (drama). He further pointed out that Mr. Gandhi, in his remarks, never said reservations would be done away with.