‘Rs 11 lakh for chopping off Rahul’s tongue’: Sena MLA offers reward for LoP’s ‘quota’ remark | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Gaikwad On Monday, a fresh controversy erupted after he offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to whoever “chopped off the tongue” of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on reservations during his US trip.
“When he was abroad, Rahul Gandhi said he wanted to finish the war. reservation system in India. This has exposed the true face of the Congress,” Gaikwad told PTI while announcing the reward.
“During his recent visit to the US, Rahul Gandhi spoke about ending reservations. It shows the mentality that is inherently against reservations. I will reward anyone who cuts out Rahul Gandhi’s tongue with Rs 11 lakh,” Gaikwad controversially said.
“Gandhi’s remarks are the biggest betrayal of the people. Communities like Marathas, Dhangars and OBCs are fighting for reservation but before that Gandhi talks about ending its benefits,” the MLA said. The Sena MLA criticised Rahul Gandhi for “spreading a false narrative” by preserving the Constitution and said the Congress is planning to take the country back 400 years.
However, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekar Bawankule distanced himself from the remarks and said he did not endorse the Sena MLA’s remarks. The BJP is a constituent of the Shiv Sena-led government in the state. “I will neither support nor endorse Gaikwad’s remarks. However, we should not forget that the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed the reservations and said it would affect progress,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi’s comments about his US trip have drawn widespread criticism in his home country.
During his US trip, Rahul Gandhi said the Congress party would consider abolishing reservations if India is a reasonable country, which is not the case now.
“We will consider removing reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place,” Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi told students in response to a question on reservations and how long they would remain.
“The problem is that 90% of India cannot play. Go through the list of all the business leaders in India. I have done it. Show me the tribal name. Show me the Dalit name. Show me the OBC name. Out of the top 200, I think there is one OBC. They are 50% of India. But we are not treating the symptom,” he said.
“There are many people who come from upper castes and say, look, what have we done wrong? Why are we being punished? Then you think about drastically increasing the supply of some of these things. You think about decentralizing power. You think about involving many more people in the governance of our country. You think about opening up. With all due respect, I don’t think any of you will ever become Adani or Ambani. There is a reason for that. You can’t. Because those doors are closed. So the answer for people in the general caste is that you open those doors,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Meanwhile, Gaikwad, an MLA representing the Buldhana assembly seat in the Vidarbha region, has been involved in several controversies.
Earlier in February, Gaikwad had stirred up more controversy by claiming that he had hunted a tiger in 1987 and had been wearing its tooth as a necklace ever since. In response, the state forest department sent the alleged tiger tooth for forensic examination and charged Gaikwad under the Wildlife Protection Act.
(with input from agency)