BJP’s Bandi Sanjay questions Rahul Gandhi’s caste lineage

A political storm has erupted in Telangana over caste politics, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress getting into an heated exchange. 

This comes days after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s caste background. BJP leader Bandi Sanjay responded by demanding to know the caste of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

At a public event, Sanjay challenged the Congress’s stance on caste. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi could not be considered a Hindu, as his father, Rajiv Gandhi, had Parsi roots.

Sanjay explained that if a son inherits his father’s caste, Rajiv Gandhi would not be a Hindu. He argued that Rajiv’s father, Feroze Jahangir Khan, came from a Muslim background before converting to Parsi. According to Sanjay, this means Rahul Gandhi is not a Hindu.

Also read: Telangana CM unhappy with BC census release before cabinet nod

The BJP leader also called for laws to prevent religious conversions and so-called ‘Love Jihad’ in Telangana, similar to laws enacted in Maharashtra. He criticised the Congress government for including Muslims in the Backward Classes (BC) reservation list.

Sanjay argued that the list should be revised to include only genuine BCs. He claimed that the Centre would never approve a list that included Muslims in the BC category, insisting that there would be no compromise on this.

The controversy began when Chief Minister Revanth Reddy made statements about Prime Minister Modi’s caste. Reddy claimed that Modi was not born into a backward class but was a “legally converted BC.” Addressing a Congress event in Hyderabad, Reddy alleged that Modi originally belonged to an upper caste in Gujarat and only adopted a BC status before becoming Chief Minister in 2001.

He said, “Prime Minister Modi was not born BC. His caste was among the upper classes in Gujarat before he became CM. He is legally converted BC. His certificate may say BC, but his mentality is anti-BC.”

The BJP strongly condemned Reddy’s remarks, accusing him of attacking Modi’s background. The party also accused Congress of playing divisive politics by stirring up caste-based issues.

This ongoing dispute highlights the intense political rivalry between the BJP and Congress in Telangana, with caste politics at the centre of their conflict. Both parties are using the issue to rally support for their respective causes.