New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday while addressing Rajya Sabha cited Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to chief ministers, saying the first PM was against reservation of any kind.
Reading out a letter by the then PM late Jawaharlal Nehru to the then Chief Ministers, he said “….I am reading out its translation – “I dislike any kind of reservation, more particularly in services. I am strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second rate standards..,” That is why I say that they are against it (reservation) by birth…Had the government recruited at that time and promoted them from time to time, they would have been here today.”
“The Congress that didn’t give reservations to OBC, one who never gave reservations to the poor from general category, the one who didn’t consider Babasaheb for Bharat Ratna and instead kept on giving Bharat Ratna to their family members, they are giving us lessons on social justice today,” said PM Modi.
B R Ambedkar got Bharat Ratna only when a government with BJP support was formed at the Centre, said the Prime Minister. SCs, STs, OBCs got their rights in J-K only after removal of Article 370, he added.
“Congress has been their biggest opponent of Dalits, backward and tribal people by birth. Sometimes, a question comes to my mind if Baba Saheb had not been there, whether the SC/ST would not have got a reservation,” said PM Modi.
“Look at the 10-year history of Congress, (India) was among the fragile five economies. However, look at our 10 years, we are among the top five economies. We brought the country out of this after a lot of hard work,” PM said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been batting for caste census across the country. Gandhi while addressing a rally as part of ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ asserted that a countrywide caste census would be conducted if the party comes to power at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“We want social justice. After we come to power at the Centre, we will conduct a countrywide caste census to find out the number of Dalits and people from other backward communities,” he said.

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KR Desk