He attacked Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Sunday over his proposal to include Dalit, backward, and OBC communities in beauty pageants like Miss India and made it seem like this was an idea that could only come from someone with "Bal Budhi" (left in intellect) solidified in them.
On Saturday, during the Samvidhan Samman Sammelan ceremony in Prayagraj, Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, sharply pitched for reservations in Miss India contests. He also attacked the government for overlooking the welfare of the backward and the marginalized:
"I checked the list of Miss India-it didn't have any Dalit, Adivasi or OBC women. Some will go and talk about cricket or Bollywood. Not even top anchors in the media are from the 90 per cent," majoritarianly, Rahul told the audience.
Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, reacted to it by sharing the viral video of Rahul's speech and branding him a hypocrite. Rijiju also highlighted the impracticability of Rahul's suggestion. On X, Rijiju wrote:
"Now, he wants reservations in Miss India competitions, films, sports! It is not only the issue of 'Bal Budhi', but people who cheer him are equally responsible too!"
He added:
"Childish humour may be good for entertainment but don't make fun of backward communities in your divisive tactics," he advised the Leader of Opposition.
Rijiju added: "Rahul Gandhi ji, governments don't select Miss India, governments don't select athletes for Olympics, and governments do not choose actors for films."
The BJP spokesperson also refuted the claims of Rahul with a video on X, stating that there's a Dalit girl, Miss Riya Ekka, who won the Miss India title two years back. Bhandari has dismissed the statement of Rahul as just a figment of his imagination and baseless, saying:
"Just 2 years ago, a tribal girl from Chhattisgarh, Miss Riya Ekka, won the Miss India title. Rahul Gandhi's plan is disintegrative and it's filled with untruth."
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