NEW DELHI: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday targeted Lok Sabha’s leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of “disregarding” the merit system and questioning his qualifications for the role.
His remarks come in the wake of Gandhi’s statement calling India’s merit system a “flawed” concept during a discussion with professor Sukhadeo Thorat, a member of Telangana’s caste survey panel.
At a press conference, Prasad took a swipe at the Congress leader, saying, “Rahul Gandhi has again made a wise statement. He has said that there is no such thing as a merit system in this country… My first question to Rahul Gandhi is, by what qualification has he become the leader of the opposition?… Where the rules of the merit system have been disregarded, it has been in his appointment.”
Continuing his criticism, Prasad added, “Rahul Gandhi does not do his homework. His tutor should be changed who will give him the correct information about India.”
In his interview with Professor Thorat, Gandhi argued that India’s education and bureaucratic systems are biased against Dalits, OBCs, and tribals. “There is a completely flawed concept of merit where I confuse my social position with my capability. For anybody to say that our education system or our bureaucratic entry systems are fair to Dalits, OBCs, and tribals – that’s just a complete fallacy,” he said.
“The entire narrative is an upper caste narrative. This notion of merit is, actually, itself an unfair idea,” he added.
Sharing the interview on X, Congress MP linked the issue to historical struggles for equality, referencing Dr B R Ambedkar’s 1927 Mahad Satyagraha.
“The fight for share that began 98 years ago continues. On 20 March 1927, Babasaheb Ambedkar directly challenged caste discrimination through the Mahad Satyagraha. This was not just a fight for the right to water, but also for equality and respect,” he wrote.
