'Bal Budhi, Falsehood': BJP Hits Back After Rahul Gandhi's 'No Dalit, Tribal, OBC In Miss India List' Jibe

Bharatiya Janata Party leaders strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following his remark that, after reviewing the list of former Miss India winners, he found no Dalit, tribal, or OBC representation among them. Gandhi made this comment during a ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ event while advocating for a nationwide “caste census.”

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s comment, BJP National spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari said his remarks were “divisive” and “full of falsehood”.

Responding to Rahul’s comments, BJP leader Amit Malviya, too, tagged a Congress post on X and questioned if people can find one one person from SC, ST or OBC community in the pictures.  Taking a swipe at Rahul’s comments, the leader said, politics of “balak buddhi” (childish intelligence) is a “fraud”.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, too, took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and said: “Now, he wants reservations in Miss India competitions, films, sports! It is not only issue of “Bal Budhi”, but people who cheer him are – equally responsible too!”

While taking about reservation, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said: “I have checked the list of Miss India, which did not have any Dalit, Adivasi (tribal) or OBC women. Some will talk about cricket or Bollywood. No one will show the cobbler or plumber. Even top anchors in the media are not from the 90 per cent.”

“They will say Modiji embraced someone and we have become superpower. How have we become superpower when 90 per cent people has no participation?” the LoP asked, attacking the mainstream media of the country.

Reacting to Rahul’s remark, Bhandari, in a post on X, shared a video of a Dalit woman being crowned. Bhandari wrote: “Not long ago, just 2 years back, a tribal girl from Chhattisgarh, Miss Riya Ekka, won the Miss India title. Rahul Gandhi’s plan is divisive and it’s full of falsehood.”

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP might say that he was trying to divide the country with his demand of a caste census.

“We want to now how many in institutions, corporates, Bollywood, Miss India are from the 90 per cent. I am only saying that 90 per cent did not have ‘bhagidari’ and this should be checked,” he said.