Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP IT cell, criticized Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader, for what he described as Rahul's "recent interest in the welfare of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs)." Malviya suggested that Rahul's comments were an attempt to "whitewash the anti-OBC history of the Congress and the Gandhis."
Malviya's remarks came in response to Rahul Gandhi's statement at a conclave, where Rahul expressed astonishment that out of the 90 individuals (Secretaries) overseeing the Indian government, only three belonged to the OBC community. In addition, Rahul called on the BJP-led government to conduct a caste-based census, reiterating a similar statement he had made in Parliament after the women's reservation bill was passed.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Malviya referred to Rahul Gandhi as "dangerous and devious" and alleged that the Congress had reduced OBC reservations in certain states to accommodate Muslims.
Malviya contended that it was the Congress that had hindered the rightful representation of OBCs, asserting that Rajiv Gandhi had opposed the Mandal Commission report, which aimed to empower the OBCs, in 1990.
He noted that the Mandal Commission had been established by the Janata government in 1979 to identify socially or educationally disadvantaged groups. Although the Mandal report was completed by 1983, its recommendations were only accepted in 1989 when a government with BJP support came to power in Delhi. According to Malviya, Rajiv Gandhi opposed the Mandal Commission report in 1990, which was intended to uplift the OBCs.
Malviya claimed that Congress had delayed the implementation of the Mandal Commission report until the Supreme Court mandated reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs in government services in 1992.
He further stated that if Indira Gandhi had accepted the recommendations in 1983 and Rajiv Gandhi had implemented them when he became Prime Minister in 1984, there would likely be more OBC Secretaries in the government by now. Therefore, Malviya suggested that Rahul Gandhi should hold his own family accountable for the limited number of OBC Secretaries.
