Will PM Modi scrap the limit on reservations, asks Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi questions PM Modi on reservation cap, criticizes media bias, and accuses Modi of corruption and insulting Sharad Pawar.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday asked PM Narendra Modi whether he would scrap the 50% limit on reservations. He claimed that the Congress’ ‘Nyay’ guarantees and promise to conduct a caste census were revolutionary steps that would alter the future of Indian politics.

Will Modi ji speak on whether he plans to remove the 50% cap on reservations?” he asked. He was addressing a rally in Pune city as part of campaigning for the Congress’ (and the MVA’s) Pune Lok Sabha seat candidate, Ravindra Dhangekar.

Mr. Gandhi reiterated his allegation that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its parent body – the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - wanted to finish-off the Constitution.

“If the Constitution is changed, India will be unrecognisable. The Congress will never let it happen,” said Mr. Gandhi.

The Congress’ candidate from Wayanad and Raebareli, flayed the media for reportedly being in the clutches of Mr. Modi and the PM’s industrialist friends, Gautam Adani and the Ambani family.

“The media doesn’t show you the plight of farmers, only the extravagant weddings of the Ambanis. Look at big media companies. See all the big anchors. You won’t see a single Dalit, Adivasi or OBC among them. They are all beholden to Adani and show the PM throughout the day…the media is not yours [the common people’s],” claimed Mr. Gandhi.

He targeted PM Modi over the electoral bonds scheme, remarking: “PM Modi says he is cleaning politics. If he is cleaning politics, why did he hide names of donors [in the electoral bonds scheme]? When their names came to light, we found that a company received contracts worth thousands of crores of rupees and soon after the company gives money to the BJP. The CBI opens a case against a company, that company gives thousands of crores of rupees to the BJP and the case is closed. Narendra Modi is being openly corrupt, but the media is silent.”