Rahul Gandhi abused entire OBC community, says Minister Bhupender Yadav

Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his comments against a certain community, Union Labour Minister and BJP's national general secretary Bhupender Yadav on Friday said terming an entire community 'thief' is a misuse of freedom of speech.

Gandhi was convicted by a Gujarat court for his comments during a 2019 political rally where he said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi. Rahul Gandhi was on Friday afternoon disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha following the conviction.

BJP leaders accused him of attacking an OBC caste. BJP president JP Nadda said Gandhi "has shown a pathetic and casteist mindset" by "comparing OBC communities to thieves".

Yadav said Gandhi’s remarks hurt the OBC community.

"How can an entire community be thieves? Rahul Gandhi has insulted the entire OBC community by calling them thieves. He has broken all political decorum," Yadav said.

"There's a difference between criticism and abuse, they are different. He has abused the entire OBC community," he clarified in an interview with NDTV.

On the Congress-led opposition’s protest against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi and that it was a political attack on opposition leaders, Yadav sought to know whether their protest was to demand the right to insult the OBC community.

"Is this not an insult to the country's judiciary as well?" he asked. "We need to develop a political understanding in this country that no politician has the right to abuse the OBC community," Yadav said.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju too attacked Gandhi, saying he had “disgraced” an entire community.

“Rahul Gandhi made very derogatory remark and disgraced an entire OBC Community. Shockingly, some Congress leaders are trying to defend it!” Rijiju said in a tweet.

Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi has been repeatedly defaming people and communities. He was warned by the court in the past not to make allegations against people without substance, and let him go because he apologised. But he still continued to make allegations, maligning the image of OBCs, Modi community and even against the RSS.

“Rahul Gandhi believes he's above Parliament, law, country, he's privileged one and the Gandhi family can do anything,” Thakur said.

 Congress MP Rahul Gandhi disqualified as Member of Lok Sabha