New Delhi. During the discussion on the budget in the Lok Sabha, BJP MP Anurag Thakur raised the issue of caste. The issue of caste census is being continuously raised by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Anurag Thakur attacked the opposition party Congress and said that the one whose caste is not known, talks about sugarcane. This led to a ruckus in the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi called it an insult to him. Now the issue of caste has also reached the Rajya Sabha. During the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha, something happened that the Chairman of the House Jagdeep Dhankhar himself had to tell his caste. Along with this, he also replied to Congress member Rajni Patil in his own style.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday that he is proud that he is a Jat and his caste has got the status of Other Backward Class (OBC) in the Central list along with Rajasthan. The chairman had to tell about his caste during the proceedings when a member of the ruling party, while participating in the budget discussion, called Dhankhar an OBC. A member of Congress had raised questions on it. In fact, BJP’s Dhanshyam Tiwari, when the demand for caste-based census was raised by Congress and opposition members, wanted to give an example of how different castes have been given prominence in this government. He said that when President Draupadi Murmu came to address the joint session of Parliament, she was in the front and she belongs to the tribal community. Tiwari further said, ‘Behind him was Vice President Dhankhar sahab who is an OBC and I, a Brahmin, am performing aarti for all of them.’
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Chairman’s reply to Congress member
When Ghanshyam Tiwari was saying all this during the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha, Rajni Patil of Congress asked that since when did Dhankhar sahab become OBC, he is a Jat. On this, the Chairman said that he never felt the need to tell his caste but today he is telling. Chairman Dhankhar said, ‘I am from the Jat caste and I am proud of it. This caste is in OBC in Rajasthan and is also in OBC in the central list.’ He told Patil who raised the question that he is also aware of the Jats, hence he has also made relatives among the Jats.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name came up
Jagdeep Dhankhar further said that for the first time during the tenure of former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Jats of Rajasthan were included in the OBC list. BJP member K. Laxman said that the Congress people do not even know who is an OBC and who is a Scheduled Caste. Taking a jibe at the Congress, he said that their leaders demand caste census and they have no knowledge about OBC. Dhankhar further said that in those days he was the chief spokesperson of the Jat Reservation Committee and a 6-member committee of this had met Vajpayee and demanded to include the Jats in the OBC category. He also said that the Jats were first included in the OBC list in the central list and then later in a hurry the then government of Rajasthan gave them OBC status.
‘At that time there was a Congress government…’
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar further said that at that time there was a Congress government in Rajasthan and it also gave OBC status to the Jats, but left many such loopholes due to which cases had to be fought. Dhankhar said, ‘The farmer will never get trapped in the Chakravyuh, no matter how many loopholes you make. It is the grace of God.’ Later, while presenting his side about the budget, Tiwari said that the General Budget 2024-2025 is of the present, of the past and of the future as well. He said that during the discussion, many members claimed that Rajasthan has been ignored in the budget, but the truth is that Rajasthan has got Rs 8,000 crore more in this budget as compared to the previous budget. He said that apart from this, a very big industrial park also came in the share of the state which will be of 1,500 acres and will provide employment to 40,000 people.
Tags: Jagdeep Dhankhar, Parliament News, Parliament session, Rajya Sabha
FIRST PUBLISHED : July 30, 2024, 19:49 IST