Removing 50% cap on quota necessary to protect Constitution: Rahul Gandhi
Mumbai: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday assured removal of 50 per cent ceiling on reservation and caste census after his party came to power. Mr Gandhi visited Kolhapur where he unveiled a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He alleged that the BJP wanted to do away with the Constitution, which is based on the Maratha warrior king’s ideas. He claimed that Shivaji’s statue at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg district collapsed because of BJP’s bad intentions.
Mr. Gandhi unveiled a 20 feet tall bronze statue, which weighs around 2,000 kilograms. Addressing a public meeting before unveiling a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said, “The Congress party today is fighting against the same ideology that Shivaji Maharaj fought against. They (BJP) made a statue of Shivaji Maharaj and after a few days, the statue broke and fell. Their intention was wrong and the statue gave them a message that if you want to make a statue of Shivaji Maharaj, then you have to protect the ideology of Shivaji Maharaj.”
The Congress leader said his top priority is to protect the Constitution, remove the 50 per ceiling on reservation, caste census and socioeconomic survey in the country. Claiming that not many Dalits, Adivasi, and backward caste people are included in senior management lists of top corporates, media, judiciary, and intelligence agencies in India, he said, “I have never read the history of Dalits, backwards in school. Today, whatever history of them that is there is being removed from books.”
Holding up a copy of the Constitution, Mr. Gandhi said, “If you take the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, then you must respect the Constitution and the ideology he stood for. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj always took along people of all sections of the society.”
The 35-foot statue at Rajkot fort was unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day. It collapsed in August this year. During his Maharahtra visit on August 30, the PM issued an apology saying Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a deity for him and he bows his head at the feet of his deity and apologises to him.
Referring to the PM’s apology, Mr Gandhi said, “There is no use of bowing before bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people, destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country.”
The Congress leader also accused the Modi government of wanting to destroy the Constitution of India, while the Congress wants to protect it. “There are two ideologies in the country. The one protects the Constitution and talks about equality and unity. The other ideology is trying to destroy the Constitution. They get up in the morning and plan how to destroy the Constitution based on the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj,” he said.
