Lok Sabha polls 2014: Congress questions authenticity of Narendra Modi's OBC claim

NEW DELHI: Congress on Thursday questioned the authenticity of Narendra Modi’s projection of himself as a Backward Caste leader. Senior Gujarat Congress leader and AICC spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil waved a document at a press conference in New Delhi to claim that Modi originally, “belonged to an upper caste” but included his caste, Modh Ghanchi, in OBC (Other Backward Castes) list only after becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat with political calculations in mind.

The AICC move came after Modi claimed himself as a ‘neech jati’ (low caste) man aspiring to become the prime minister after Cognress leader Priyanka Gandhi charged him with indulging in “neechi rajyaneeti (low-level politics) Gohil told repor t e r s t h at “Modh Ghanchis were traditionally upper castes and there was no demand to include the community in OBC category. Modh is a title given to castes or communities who become prosperous. Castes bearing ‘Modh’ title are rich people. Mahatma Gandhi was a Modh vanik (Bania),” Ghanchi among Muslims were in OBC category but people of Modi’s caste, who used to sell ghee or were in wholesale business, were always upper caste,” he claimed.

Gohil said, “Modi became the chief minister in September 2001. On January 1, 2002, his government issued a circular including Modh Ganchis in OBC list. We are a secular nation and equality is enshrined in the Constitution. Every caste is equal. But it is certainly a crime to put your own caste in the OBC category and then scream discrimination.”

Asked why he was making the claim only after all these years and on the eve of Lok Sabha poll results, Gohil said, “I came to know of this and filed an RTI months ago. But the state government did not reply. Then I filed the first appeal and it was ignored. I filed the second appeal and finally they gave me the Government Order (GR) day before yesterday. I did not want to bring this issue in the public domain without documentary evidence.”



He said the Modi regime had stopped the tradition of providing a copy of a Government Order to the Leader of Opposition. “This practice was discontinued after Modi became the CM. I was the Leader of Opposition but I got the GO on Nano car factory only after I threatened the Chief Secretary that I would go to the high court. Now he has been exposed”.

Gohil also questioned Modi’s claim that he had worked as teaseller. “We have found out he never sold tea. He went to a canteen owned by a relative as past-time. I was told by a police officer that the license of that canteen was cancelled because charas was sold there.” He said an RTI has already been filed to get more details on it.