Should Have A SC/ST Leader Of Opposition If He Genuinely Cares: Rajnath Singh Baits Rahul Gandhi, Kharge

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday took a jab at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying he should have appointed someone from the SC, ST or minority communities as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha if he genuinely cared for them.

Addressing consecutive rallies in Rohtas and Kaimur districts, Singh dismissed Gandhi's claims of ‘vote chori’ as “baseless” and said the Congress leader should approach the Election Commission with evidence if he has a complaint.

“If Rahul Gandhi is really concerned about Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or minority communities, he should have given the post of leader of opposition in Lok Sabha to someone from these communities,” Singh said, according to PTI. Gandhi assumed the leader of opposition post following the 2024 polls.

Notably, Congress Party President Mallikarjun Kharge is the Rajya Sabha leader of the opposition, and has been since 2021. Kharge had also held the post of leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019. 

Singh further remarked, “If Rahul Gandhi thinks that votes are being stolen in Bihar, he should file a complaint with the EC. He is not doing that; he is simply levelling baseless allegations against a constitutional body. He is simply lying,” PTI reported.

He accused Congress of creating divisions among people on the basis of caste, creed and religion, saying the party relies on “divisive politics”.

Singh also took issue with Gandhi raising the reservation issue in the defence forces. “Rahul Gandhi is raising the issue of reservation in the defence forces. Our defence forces are above all these. He should not drag them into politics,” he said. He added, “BJP supports reservations. We have given reservations to the poor and other eligible sections of the society.”

Hailing the armed forces for their success in Operation Sindoor, Singh clarified that the operation has been “halted and not stopped”. He warned, “If terrorists attempt to attack India again, we will retaliate strongly. India does not provoke anyone, but if anyone provokes us, we will not spare them.”

“India is no longer a weak country. We are now known as a powerful country in the world,” he added, PTI reported.

(With inputs from PTI)