KARIMNAGAR, Feb 16: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar stirred a controversy with his remarks on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s religion.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Swadeshi Mela, organized by the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch at Ambedkar Stadium in Karimnagar on Sunday, Bandi Sanjay criticised Congress leaders for their statements on Rahul Gandhi’s lineage, questioning how Rajiv Gandhi could be considered a Hindu.
He claimed that Rajiv Gandhi’s father, Feroze Jehangir Khan, was a Parsi with ancestral roots in Persia and, therefore, Rajiv Gandhi was not a Hindu but a Parsi of Muslim descent. He went on to assert that the Gandhi family had no fixed caste, religion, or national identity while hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “pure Indian” who commands respect globally.
The Minister also accused the Congress government of unfairly targeting Hindus under the guise of a BC caste census. He alleged that Congress was manipulating the reservation system to benefit a particular community by including Muslims under the Backward Classes (BC) category.
According to him, out of the proposed 42 percent reservation for BCs, 10 percent would go to Muslims, effectively reducing the share for other BCs to 32 percent. He criticised this move, calling it an injustice to BCs.
Bandi Sanjay further advocated for the implementation of laws against religious conversions and love jihad in Telangana, similar to those in Maharashtra. He firmly stated that if the Telangana government includes Muslims in the BC category and sends the list to the Centre for approval, the central government will not accept it. He reiterated his commitment to working for the Hindu community and dismissed allegations of communalism.
He emphasised that if a revised BC list, excluding Muslims, is submitted, the Centre would ensure its approval.
(UNI )
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