The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the United States has posed some significant challenges for the I.N.D.I.A. Alliance and Congress party. Additionally, it has given BJP a big chance to take aim at the Congress. The BJP has seized on Rahul Gandhi’s controversial comments and has now become aggressive on Rahul’s statement about ending reservation and is trying to make it a big issue in the elections.
In addition to this Rahul Gandhi’s recent controversial remarks during his US visit have further complicated Congress’s position, especially with elections approaching in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Although Congress is defending its leader Rahul, it is also worried about reservation, praise of China, meeting with US MP Omar Ilhan who made anti-India statements and the statements made about Sikhs.
Experts are of the opinion Rahul Gandhi’s comments about ending reservation have weakened the opposition’s position. The BJP is using this to attack Congress, and the BSP is also opposing Gandhi. If Dalits and backward classes in Haryana shift their support away from Congress, it could help the BJP. Other parties are also making this an issue. Although Gandhi has clarified that his comments were misunderstood, the BJP is focusing on reservation and backward class politics to challenge Congress. Congress is struggling to address concerns over Gandhi’s remarks, his praise for China, meetings with US MP Ilhan Omar, and comments about Sikhs.
The BJP is aggressively targeting Congress over the issue of ending reservation. Rahul Gandhi’s comments about the Sikh community, including his statement that Sikhs cannot wear turbans and kada in India, have fueled nationwide protests from the Sikh community. Gandhi also praised China and questioned India’s unemployment situation. On the last day of his visit, he met with a US MP who has made anti-India statements, giving the BJP more issues to leverage. The BJP is now focusing on reservation issues in election states, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah leading the charge. Shah has declared that as long as the BJP is in power, reservation will remain protected. Having been criticized over reservation issues during the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is now using these same issues to attack Congress.
Moreover, The BJP is now launching scathing attacks on Congress by challenging it to choose a backward class candidate for Chief Minister. Haryana’s in-charge General Secretary, Satish Poonia, has specifically challenged Congress to declare a backward class or Dalit leader as its Chief Ministerial candidate if it truly supports these communities. Following Rahul Gandhi’s recent controversial statements, the BJP is now arguing that Congress has never genuinely supported backward classes.
During the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of trying to undermine the Constitution and end reservation, claims that were strongly denied by BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. They assured that reservation would remain protected. Despite this, Congress continued to attack the BJP over reservation issues. Even after the NDA government, led by Modi, took office, Rahul Gandhi and the India Alliance kept criticizing the NDA on reservation. Congress had planned to focus on reservation and backward class issues in upcoming elections. However, there is a significant faction within the party that is not fully supportive of backward class politics, fearing it could alienate upper-caste voters.