T’gana BJP MLA asks Rahul Gandhi’s ‘religion’ after Cong govt. begins caste survey

Telangana BJP MLA A Maheshwar Reddy kicked up a row by questioning Rahul Gandhi’s caste and religion. File photo

Telangana BJP MLA A Maheshwar Reddy on Wednesday said the Congress government is trying to deceive the backward classes in the name of caste survey.

The MLA also kicked up a row by questioning Rahul Gandhi’s caste and religion.

Taking strong exception to the BJP MLA’s comments on Gandhi, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud asked whether Maheshwar Reddy was not aware of Gandhi’s caste when he was in Congress.

Talking to reporters, Maheshwar Reddy, floor leader of BJP in the Assembly, said the “caste and religion of Gandhi, who talks about caste census, should be known first”.

He also asked about Rahul Gandhi’s understanding of the country’s culture and traditions.

“Who is Rahul Gandhi’s grandfather? Feroz Jehangir Ghandy. (He is the) grandson of Feroz Jehangir. In Hindu tradition, father gets grandfather’s caste and son gets father’s caste,” the BJP MLA said.

“According to me, Feroz Jehangir’s son should be Rajiv Jehangir, Rajiv Jehangir’s son should be Rahul Jehangir. He needs to state what his caste and religion are,” he said.

Recalling that a police case was filed in Karnataka against BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on the same issue, Maheshwar Reddy claimed that CM Revanth Reddy might file a case against him also for his remarks and that he is not not scared of cases.

Asserting that the BJP is not against the caste survey, Maheshwar Reddy demanded that the ruling Congress implement the promises made to backward classes in the ‘BC Declaration’ announced by it before Assembly elections.

The BJP leader said the assurances made in the ‘BC Declaration’ include increasing the BC quota to 42 per cent from the existing 23 per cent in local bodies, giving 42 per cent reservation in government civil contracts and spending Rs 20,000 crore for the welfare of Backward Communities.

Maheshwar Reddy also said the BJP would abolish the 4 per cent quota given to minorities (in the BC category) in Telangana when it comes to power.

Hitting out at Maheshwar Reddy, state Congress president Mahesh Kumar Goud said the state BJP leaders should get OBC census included in next year’s national census.

Goud, who referred to Maheshwar Reddy’s past as a Congress leader, said Gandhi’s caste and India’s caste are one and the same.

Gandhi is accepted as a leader regardless of caste, religion and regional affiliations, the PCC president said.

The Telangana government’s comprehensive socio-economic, employment, political and caste survey, an election promise of Rahul Gandhi, began on Wednesday.