Congress accuses BJP of twisting Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Dalit issues
Telangana Congress leader T. Jagga Reddy accused the BJP of ill-treating Dalits and misrepresenting Rahul Gandhi's comments on the alleged insult to Mallikarjun Kharge.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president T. Jagga Reddy on Thursday accused the BJP and its affiliated bodies of deliberately ill-treating Dalits while twisting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks to paint him as anti-Dalit.
Speaking at a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, Reddy alleged hypocrisy on the part of the BJP, pointing to the party's historical treatment of leaders from marginalised communities. He cited the removal of Bangaru Laxman as BJP national president as an example, claiming the party never encouraged Dalits in the manner the Congress has.
"Such an approach does not exist in Rahul Gandhi's family or in the Congress," Reddy asserted.
Reddy extensively addressed the recent controversy surrounding AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, who was reportedly subjected to a 'purification' ritual at the venue of a public meeting he attended in Uttarakhand. Reddy termed this an insult to Kharge, who serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and is a senior leader elected multiple times.
"Disrespecting him in such a manner was unacceptable," Reddy said. He added that Rahul Gandhi had questioned this practice, and the BJP was deliberately giving a different interpretation to his comments to mislead the public.