Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and former UP Chief Minister has lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for his comments on "scrapping reservation". Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the Congress will think of scrapping reservation policies when India becomes a "fair place", which is not the case right now.


What Rahul Gandhi Said About Caste Census


Rahul Gandhi during his interaction at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service on Tuesday said that a caste census in India is unstoppable now. He said: "If you look at the Indian Government and examine the 70 bureaucrats who run it, the secretaries to the Government of India, these are the people who make almost all the financial decisions. If you add up Dalits, Tribals, and OBCs, they make up 73 percent of the population. But out of those 70 people, there is one tribal, three Dalits, and three OBCs, and maybe a minority. So, 90% in the Government of India has access to less than 10% of the positions that determine how finances and money will be spent."






He further said 90% of India is not able to participate in financial decisions. "Go through the list of every single business leader in India. I’ve done it. Show me the tribal, Dalit, and OBC names. Out of the top 200 business leaders, I think there’s one OBC. OBCs are 50 percent of India. We are not addressing the root of the problem. That’s the issue right now," he said.


"Reservation is not the only tool; there are other tools, but we should think of scrapping reservations only when India becomes a fair place. And India is not a fair place right now."


"There are many people from the upper castes who say, 'Look, what have we done wrong? Why are we being punished?'  You think about decentralising power. You think about involving many more people in the governance of our country. Frankly, with all due respect, I don’t think any of you are ever going to become an Ambani or an Adani. And there’s a reason for that, you can’t, because those doors are closed. So, the answer to people from the general caste is to open those doors," he said.






The caste census is now an unstoppable idea. The critical question of whether 90% of our population is meaningfully represented in India’s institutional structure - economy, government, education - demands an answer. At its core, this is an issue of fairness and justice. Anything less than a comprehensive caste census, along with an economic and institutional survey is unacceptable.


Mayawati Asks People To Be 'Cautious'


Mayawati slammed the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, advising people them to remain cautious in their approach. 


Soon after his remarks, Mayawati hit back with a sharp response, alleging that the Congress was conspiring to end reservation in India. Be cautious of this drama of the supreme leader of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi. He has said that when India will be in a better condition, they will end the reservations of SC, ST, and OBCs. This makes it clear that Congress has been conspiring to end their reservation for years."






She said that the previous Congress governments did not implement OBC reservations while in power for a long time at the Centre. She pointed out that the Congress failed to conduct caste census in the country as well and is now "dreaming of coming to power using this as an issue. "Beware of this drama of theirs. They will never be able to conduct caste census in the future," Mayawati said.






The BSP chief urged people to remain alert to what she described as Congress's malicious intentions, claiming that the party would revoke reservations if it came to power. She argued that Congress has historically held an anti-reservation stance. Referencing past events, she recalled how BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, resigned as Law Minister due to the Congress's failure to fully implement the reservation quotas.


"In reality, Congress has always been anti-reservation... Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar resigned from the post of Law Minister because he did not get justice from this party. People should be cautious," Mayawati said in an X post.






However, Mayawati, too, seemed to resonate with Rahul Gandhi's "... when India is in a fair place comment. She said: "Until casteism is eradicated from the country, reservations must remain in place to ensure the social, economic, and educational betterment of SCs, STs, and OBCs."