New Delhi, July 26 (IANS) A controversial statement by Congress leader Udit Raj, equating Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi with B.R. Ambedkar, has triggered sharp reactions from across the political spectrum, with several leaders terming it a “crude joke” and an “insult” to the Father of the Indian Constitution.

In a post on X, Udit Raj had said, “OBCs will have to think that history does not give opportunities for progress again and again. They should follow and support what Rahul Gandhi said at the Talkatora Stadium conference. If they do so, then Rahul Gandhi will prove to be the second Ambedkar for them.”

Udit Raj’s comparison quickly snowballed into a major political row, drawing widespread criticism.

Several political outfits called Udit Raj a “victim of mental bankruptcy”, and some drew comparisons to the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure.

Reacting to the remark, BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar told IANS, “Rahul Gandhi should first become a good Indian citizen, do some work, serve the country and the people.”

“This is not the era of ‘Indira is India, India is Indira’. Yesterday, the Telangana Chief Minister called Sonia Gandhi a deity. It’s not as if a person wakes up one day and starts calling himself ‘god’. The public gets to decide what kind of political leader one is,” he added.

JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar was more scathing in his response and said, “Calling Rahul Gandhi the next Ambedkar is a crude joke. Ambedkar was the architect of the Constitution, a visionary, a highly educated crusader against social injustice.”

“Rahul Gandhi has himself accepted that his party ignored the welfare of the backwards classes. How many more apologies will he make — for the Emergency, Sikh riots, and now the neglect of OBCs?” he questioned.

He also demanded that Congress make public the findings of the caste surveys in Telangana and Karnataka.

Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi also said that Babasaheb Ambedkar’s legacy is “unmatched.”

“He was not just a leader of India, but of the world. I agree that Rahul Gandhi is working to uphold the Constitution, but unfortunately, it’s his own team that is pulling him down,” Azmi told IANS.

BJP’s Amar Kumar Bauri slammed Udit Raj’s remarks as “sycophantic and disgraceful.”

“This is an insult to Ambedkar and a peak example of sycophancy. People like Udit Raj, whom we once believed to be a representative of Dalits and someone who would take the community forward, have stooped so low in their hatred for PM Modi and the BJP and lust for power, we never imagined it,” he said.

“Rahul Gandhi’s personality doesn’t even measure up to a fraction of Ambedkar’s greatness. This is the same Rahul Gandhi who tears apart laws passed by Parliament and undermines constitutional institutions. How can he be compared to Babasaheb Ambedkar? Udit Raj has become a victim of mental bankruptcy,” Buari added.

The RJD, however, distanced itself from the controversy. Party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari told IANS, “We haven’t heard exactly what he said. These were his personal feelings. The Congress party will be better positioned to respond.”

–IANS

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