The Congress on Friday sought to corner Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his 'caste certificate', questioning him over his claim of being from the OBC community. Rahul Gandhi, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Thursday launched a sharp attack on PM Modi, saying that he was not born in the OBC category.
Rahul Gandhi was responding to PM Modi's claim in Parliament of being the "biggest OBC". PM Modi during his reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address said: "Congress keeps counting how many OBCs are there in government. Can't you see the biggest OBC is here?"
Gandhi said: "PM Modi was born Teli caste in Gujarat. The community was given the tag of OBC in the year 2000 by the BJP. He was born in the General caste...He will not allow caste census to be conducted in his entire life because he was not born in OBC, he was born in General caste."
Alleging that PM Modi does not shake hands with OBCs but “hugs billionaires”, Rahul Gandhi said that the PM is misleading people by claiming that he belongs to the OBC community.
Congress's Five-Point Questionnaire
With barely a couple of months left for the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress looks to be making this issue a poll plank. On Friday, the Congress sharpened its attack on PM Modi posing a series of questions to him on the validity of his claim of being an OBC. Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil released a set of five questions for PM Modi:
1. If you [PM Modi] are the biggest OBC then why don't you write Modi Ghanchi, or Modi Teli?
2. There is no mention of Modi caste anywhere in the notification issued on January 1, 2002. So how does this apply to you?
3. The guru of the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh was against SC-ST reservation, do you agree with them or not?
4. In 1978, when Karpoori Thakur brought 26% reservation, Jan Sangh protested. What is your opinion on that?
5. When the Gujarat government brought 21% reservation for OBC, ABVP and BJP opposed it. Do you agree?
Gohil further said that before becoming the Prime Minister, Modi never said that he was a Ghanchi or that he came from a backward caste. "After Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, it was said at a meeting of the Modi community in Mumbai, that a person from the super upper caste has become the Chief Minister for the first time," Gohil said. "Even advertisements were run on magazines regarding this, which Modiji never denied. Therefore, PM Modi is neither a Ghanchi, nor a Teli, nor from a backward caste," Gohil added.