CP Joshi’s Remarks On Caste Lands Congress In A Spot Of Bother In Rajasthan

The backlash to Congress leader CP Joshi’s comments on caste of BJP leaders was swift and severe ahead of the Assembly elections in Rajasthan on Dec. 7, with the BJP demanding an apology from the opposition party.

Joshi had reportedly said at an election campaign in the desert state on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP MP Uma Bharti and Hindu activist Sadhvi Ritambhara hailed from "lower castes" and therefore, knew nothing about Hinduism, adding that it was the Brahmins who had the knowledge.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi clarified Joshi’s statement didn't reflect the ideals of the party, urging the senior leader to apologise.

Joshi, who is contesting the assembly polls from Nathdrawa constituency, apologised in a tweet.

An unimpressed BJP asked the Gandhi scion to apologise. Stressing that Joshi had "insulted Indian culture as well as Hindu religion", BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accused the Congress of "dividing every religion for power".

Trivedi said that Congress talks about politics of development but divides the society on the basis of caste and religion. He also accused the grand old party of dividing every religion for power and said such negative outlook has no place in politics. The BJP leader further accused the Congress of not only dividing the society but also the resources of the country.

With inputs from PTI