JAIPUR: Senior Congress leader and former Union minister C P Joshi on Friday stirred up a political controversy when, in a video that surfaced in the media, he questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Uma Bharti’s caste. Joshi later issued an apology for his comments after Congress president Rahul Gandhi pulled him up for his comments.
Joshi, a purported Gandhi loyalist, was speaking in Nathdwara, the seat on which he is contesting the Rajasthan Assembly elections on December 7. “Does anybody know which caste Uma Bharti belongs to? Which caste (Sadhvi) Ritambhara belongs to? If anybody knows about religion, it’s the pandits or Brahmins,” he said.
“Uma belongs to the Lodhi community, Ritambhara is not from the Hindu religion but talks about it. Which caste does Narendra Modi belong to? It is for the Brahmins to explain religion, not anybody else. These people have their own vested interests and are trying to mislead the country,” he is seen saying in the video.
The ruling BJP, which is facing strong anti-incumbency in the state, was quick to hit out at Joshi’s comments. The attack on Bharti and Modi’s caste origin reflected the casteist mentality of the Congress, the party said. The BJP also lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Joshi. P7