According to media reports, Mamta Bhupesh, the only woman minister in the Rajasthan cabinet, stated that her first priority is to work for her caste and then for the society. Such an absurd statement, that too coming from the cabinet minister of a state, reflected the narrow-mindedness of the Congress party.
Speaking at a function in Alwar on Sunday, the Rajasthan Minister of State for Women and Child Development said “Hamari avashyakta lageti, main kabhi aapko pith nahi dikhaungi, is baat ka vishwas main apko dilana chahti hun. Kyuki pratham kary hamara hamari jaati ke liye, uske baad hamare samaj ke liye, uske baad sarva samaj ke liye, sabke liye hamari mansha ye rahegi ki hum sabke liye kaam kar paye, sabko labh de paye (I want to assure you that (if) I am needed, I will not turn back to you because my priority is to work first for my caste, then community and then all communities and everyone).”
The remark by Mamta Bhupesh portrays the divisive mentality of the Congress and the way party continues to sow the seeds of discord among communities. Condemning the statement, BJP state president Madan Lal Singh stated, “Works are not done on the lines of caste in the government”. The remark by Mamta Bhupesh clearly shows the narrow-mindedness of the Congress party. It seems that marginalization, sectionalisation, and regionalization are going to be the pet project of the Grand Old party through which it aims to win the upcoming general elections of 2019.
Not to forget the fact that Mamta Bhupesh has not been elected by her caste only but by the people of Rajasthan as a whole. But from her statement, the minister makes it clear that her victory is all about her caste and the development is to be confined to her caste only. It seems that behind this absurd statement, there is nothing but the Grand Old Party’s tactic of appeasement which it has been carrying forward since the beginning.
Earlier, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath made a comment that jobs offered to the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is the major reason for unemployment in Madhya Pradesh. He also emphasized that only those industries would be given financial incentives by MP government, whose 70% employees hail from the home state itself. Statements like these are set to promote caste politics and regionalism.
In another instance, Sagheer Saeed Khan, a Congress leader had sympathized with the terrorists. The leader of the Congress party from J&K announced a cash reward for terrorists in case his party comes to power in the state. He also accused the BJP-PDP government of committing “atrocities on innocent people” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Demeaning the national integrity and appeasement is not a new thing for the Congress party. Making such divisive comments pose a threat to the harmony of society. Appeasement, in any case, is disastrous for the entire mass and should be condemned in any democratic setup.