What has Prime Minister Modi done for backward castes, asks Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha

RJD MP Manoj Jha (Photo: IANS | Twitter)

Amid a war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress over ‘OBC’, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha on Friday asked Prime Minister Modi what he had done for the backward classes to strengthen them?

Manoj Jha told ANI that Prime Minister Modi and his party have failed to strengthen the backward classes in the country.

“I want to ask: what have you (PM Modi) done for the backward classes? What have you done to strengthen them (backward classes)? That will be the basis of the evaluation. This will not be the basis for whether you are Whether I am on that list or not. Where do I stand before the caste census? Why don’t I talk about reservations in the private sector? Prime Minister Modi and his party have not been successful in all these cases,” he said.

“I remember, when we were young, what kind of comments the BJP (then Jan Sangh) made about Karpuri ji and the role they (BJP) played in toppling his government. These are all historical documents,” he added. .

Earlier on Thursday, the Wayanad MP courted controversy during the Odisha leg of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra by saying that Prime Minister Modi was born into a general category, a comment that drew criticism from the entire Bharatiya Janata Party.

“Every time BJP workers come to you, tell them one thing: our Prime Minister lied to the entire country that he belonged to the backward class. He is not born in a backward class, he belongs to the general caste. Tell this to every BJP. worker,” he said while addressing a gathering in Odisha’s Jharsuguda.

This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently called himself ‘sabse bada OBC’ (the biggest OBC) in Parliament and accused the Congress of indulging in hypocrisy and double standards in dealing with leaders of backward communities.

“The Congress party and the UPA government have not done justice to the OBCs. A few days ago, Karpoori Thakur ji was negotiating with Bharat Ratna. In 1970, when he became Bihar CM, what was not done to destabilize his government? OBCs…They keep counting how many OBCs are in the government. Can’t you (Congress) see the biggest OBC here (pointing at itself)?” Prime Minister Modi said this on Monday in his reply to the ‘motion of thanks’ to the President’s speech in Lok Sabha.

First print: February 9, 2024 | 2:47 PM IST