• Source:JND
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Former Union Minister and BJP MP Anurag Thakur's speech in the Lok Sabha on the caste census drew strong criticism from the Congress. The party leader Jairam Ramesh condemned Thakur's remark, describing it as a "highly abusive and unconstitutional tirade." Ramesh also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for endorsing Thakur's speech, accusing the prime minister of causing a "serious breach of parliamentary privilege" by sharing the speech on social media.

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Earlier on Tuesday, PM Modi lauded Thakur’s speech, describing it as a "must hear" for its mix of facts and humour that exposed the "dirty politics" of the opposition INDIA bloc. "This speech by my young and energetic colleague Anurag Thakur is a must-hear. A perfect mix of facts and humour, exposing the dirty politics of the INDI Alliance," PM Modi wrote on X.

Resharing the prime minister's post, Ramesh wrote, "This speech that the non-biological Prime Minister calls a ‘must hear’ is a highly abusive and unconstitutional tirade -- and by sharing it, he has encouraged a serious breach of Parliamentary privilege."

He further criticised Thakur and said the BJP MP has brought Parliamentary discourse to a new low by asking a fellow MP and the Leader of the Opposition about his caste identity. "In a departure from all parliamentary norms – expunged comments are edited out of videos uploaded online - Sansad TV has uploaded the unedited speech, and the non-biological Prime Minister has shared and praised it publicly. This is a new and shameful low in the annals of India’s parliamentary history. It reflects the BJP-RSS and Mr Modi’s deep-rooted casteism," he said in a post on X.

Anurag Thakur Vs Rahul Gandhi On Caste

Thakur's speech came in response to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's address, in which Gandhi referenced the Chakravyuh from the Mahabharata. Thakur used this reference to criticise the Congress, highlighting alleged scams during its tenure and condemning the views of past Congress leaders on caste quotas. His remarks about Gandhi's caste sparked a heated exchange in the Lok Sabha, with Gandhi calling it an insult. "Anurag Thakur insulted me, and I don't want any apology from him. Abuse or insult me as hard as you can, but don't forget we will pass the caste census in this Parliament for sure," said Gandhi.