Union Minister Anurag Thakur has responded to Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav’s comments in the Lok Sabha by sharing a compilation of old videos. During a discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, BJP leader Anurag Thakur made pointed remarks referencing the caste of Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition. Mr Thakur’s comments were perceived as derogatory and inflammatory by the Congress party, leading to a major uproar.
Mr Gandhi has accused Mr Thakur of insulting him and declared that he would not seek an apology from the BJP leader.
Amidst the ongoing tumult, Mr Yadav entered the fray by questioning the appropriateness of Mr Thakur’s comments. Mr Yadav criticised Mr Thakur’s reference to caste as inappropriate and unacceptable. “How can you ask anybody’s caste?” Mr Yadav asked.
In a sharp rebuttal, Mr Thakur took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to respond to Mr Yadav’s critique. Mr Thakur posted a video compilation of past instances where Mr Yadav had asked about people’s caste. The video featured two clips: one showing Yadav asking a journalist about his caste and another where he can be seen discussing the caste of another.
“How did you ask about caste, Akhilesh ji,” read the caption of Mr Thakur’s post.
जाति कैसे पूछ ली अखिलेश जी ? pic.twitter.com/uaFujlDWrD
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) July 31, 2024
In his speech, Mr Takhur had slammed Mr Gandhi over his “chakravyuh” jibe at Centre. Mr Takhur cited excerpts from a book authored by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor to hit out at Congress governments since 1947 and termed Mr Gandhi as “leader of propaganda”.
Mr Thakur’s remarks in the Lok Sabha were endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who shared a link to the Hamirpur MP’s speech on his social media handles.
“This speech by my young and energetic colleague, Shri @ianuragthakur is a must-hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance,” the Prime Minister wrote.
Lok Sabha proceedings were briefly adjourned today after Opposition leaders demanded an apology from Mr Thakur.
