'Nehru was against reservation': PM Modi fires back at Congress, blames it for lack of OBC officers
Prime Minister Modi also said that Nehru used to say that if SC/ST, and OBC get reservations in jobs then the level of government work will fall.
- Feb 7, 2024,
- Updated Feb 7, 2024 4:04 PM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday responded to the Congress' charge that fewer officers were belonging to the OBC community in the government. He blamed the Congress government saying if it had recruited enough people from this section, then they would have by now reached the top level. PM Modi cited Nehru's letter to the chief ministers in which the former prime minister said he did not like reservation in any kind of jobs.
"Jawaharlal Nehru's letter to Chief Ministers clearly indicates that he was against reservation to the SC, ST and OBC in the jobs," the prime minister said while speaking in the Rajya Sabha. "For the Congress party, the words of Jawaharlal Nehru have always been sacrosanct."
Prime Minister Modi also said that Nehru used to say that if SC/ST, and OBC get reservations in jobs then the level of government work will fall. "The origin of these figures that are counted today lies here. If they had been recruited in the government at that time, they would have moved ahead after promotion and would have reached here today."
Countering the Congress, which accused the central government of not focusing enough on marginalized sections, the Prime Minister said enrollment of SC students in higher education has increased by 44 per cent. The enrollment of ST students in higher education has increased by 65 per cent, he said, adding that there has been an increase of 45 per cent in the enrollment of OBC students.
He said the Congress and its allies have always had difficulty in giving greater participation to SC/ST and OBC. "It left no stone unturned to destroy Baba Saheb's ideas. There was no preparation to give him Bharat Ratna, that too when the second government was formed with the support of BJP, Baba Saheb was given Bharat Ratna."
In September 2023, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said he was shocked to find out that out of 90 secretaries in the government of India, only three were OBCs. "These secretaries only control 5 per cent of the budget. If the country's budget is 44 lakh crore then 2.4 lakh crore controls it," he had said.
Earlier this week, Rahul Gandhi said that the INDIA alliance, if elected to power, would remove the limit of 50 per cent reservation for OBCs, SCs and STs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday responded to the Congress' charge that fewer officers were belonging to the OBC community in the government. He blamed the Congress government saying if it had recruited enough people from this section, then they would have by now reached the top level. PM Modi cited Nehru's letter to the chief ministers in which the former prime minister said he did not like reservation in any kind of jobs.
"Jawaharlal Nehru's letter to Chief Ministers clearly indicates that he was against reservation to the SC, ST and OBC in the jobs," the prime minister said while speaking in the Rajya Sabha. "For the Congress party, the words of Jawaharlal Nehru have always been sacrosanct."
Prime Minister Modi also said that Nehru used to say that if SC/ST, and OBC get reservations in jobs then the level of government work will fall. "The origin of these figures that are counted today lies here. If they had been recruited in the government at that time, they would have moved ahead after promotion and would have reached here today."
Countering the Congress, which accused the central government of not focusing enough on marginalized sections, the Prime Minister said enrollment of SC students in higher education has increased by 44 per cent. The enrollment of ST students in higher education has increased by 65 per cent, he said, adding that there has been an increase of 45 per cent in the enrollment of OBC students.
He said the Congress and its allies have always had difficulty in giving greater participation to SC/ST and OBC. "It left no stone unturned to destroy Baba Saheb's ideas. There was no preparation to give him Bharat Ratna, that too when the second government was formed with the support of BJP, Baba Saheb was given Bharat Ratna."
In September 2023, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said he was shocked to find out that out of 90 secretaries in the government of India, only three were OBCs. "These secretaries only control 5 per cent of the budget. If the country's budget is 44 lakh crore then 2.4 lakh crore controls it," he had said.
Earlier this week, Rahul Gandhi said that the INDIA alliance, if elected to power, would remove the limit of 50 per cent reservation for OBCs, SCs and STs.