Anurag Thakur's ‘caste’ remark on Rahul Gandhi draws Akhilesh Yadav's ire: ‘There was a time…’

A day after Anurag Thakur seemingly referred to Rahul Gandhi's caste in Lok Sabha and sparked a row, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party, questioning if the ruling party can ask the caste of any Congress leader or any other person, news agency ANI reported.

“Asking questions about a caste is not a new thing…This is very old. There was a time in the Uttar Pradesh assembly when there were talks about the Shudra caste. I remember during that time…Once I went to a temple, and some people didn't want me to perform havan and puja,” Akhilesh Yadav, whose party is a partner of the INDIA bloc, told reporters before the Parliament session on Wednesday.

Also read: Lok Sabha adjourned as Oppn continues protest over Anurag Thakur’s remark

Akhilesh Yadav further referred to the time when ‘Ganga’ water was used to clean Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath's house as a “purification ritual”.

“Make me understand: how can one do this?” he questioned.

“I can even forget these things…But one time, when I visited a temple in Kannauj, they washed it after I left,” the SP chief said.

Referring to the BJP-led Centre, Yadav said, “Now you want to go to Moon, there are talks of digital India, Amrit Kaal…Let me ask this, can BJP ask the caste of any Congress leader or any other person?”

Anurag Thakur hits back

Shortly after Akhilesh Yadav's remarks, Anurag Thakur posted an old video of the SP MP asking a journalist’s caste and his name. “How did you ask about caste, Akhilesh ji,” Thakur captioned the post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Thakur, during a discussion on the Union Budget in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, asked what Gandhi's caste is, without actually naming him.

“Those whose caste is not known, talk about the caste census. I want to remind the Speaker that in this House itself, a former prime minister RG-1 had opposed reservation for OBCs,” he began the exchange, possibly referring to Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul's father.

Meanwhile, Gandhi sharply reacted the former minister's remarks, accusing Thakur of ‘insulting’ him.

“You can insult me as much as you like, but we (INDIA) will pass the caste census in this Parliament…Whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit and the backward, is abused. I will happily accept these abuses. Anurag Thakur has abused me and insulted me. But I do not want any apology from him," Gandhi said.

(With inputs from ANI)