BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of lip service on Scheduled Caste representation

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) accused the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, of paying lip service to the issue of proportional representation for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and other communities in the Congress party.

The allegation followed a video clip circulating on social media in which former Punjab Chief Minister and Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi was purportedly heard, at a recent meeting, seeking greater SC representation in the party.

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said that while the Congress leader spoke vociferously about a caste census, Mr. Gandhi’s own party leader, Mr. Channi, was “saying that they are not getting justice there”.

“Even within the party, you are not able to do the work of a popular leader or deliver social justice…Channi-ji has exposed the gap between Rahul Gandhi-ji’s principles and words, and his actions and statements,” Mr. Poonawalla said.

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Mr. Poonawalla also criticised infighting within Congress units, citing instances in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. “The Congress keeps fighting against itself. It is a fragmented party. This is what happens when Rahul Gandhi is its leader,” he said.