Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday accused Rahul Gandhi of trying to create anarchy by raising the issue of caste in the armed forces, after the Congress leader claimed that “10 per cent of India controls the Army,” triggering backlash.
Speaking at a rally in Bihar, Singh said Rahul was “raising the issue of reservations in the defence forces,” which, he added, was an attempt to stir unrest. “What happened to Rahul? He is raising the issue of reservations in the defence forces. He is simply trying to create anarchy in the country by demanding reservation in the defence forces.”
Singh said the Indian Army’s only religion is “Sainya Dharma.”
He warned Rahul against politicising the forces, saying, “Don’t drag our army into politics. Whenever this country has faced a crisis, our soldiers have raised India’s head high with their bravery and valour.”
Speaking at a rally in Bihar’s Aurangabad on Tuesday, the Congress MP had said: “Only 10 per cent of the country's population get opportunities in corporate sectors, bureaucracy, and the judiciary... even the Army is under their control.”
BJP leaders, Union ministers, and even figures from the Opposition have condemned the statement, calling it divisive and irresponsible.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan called Gandhi’s remarks “shameful” and “unfortunate.” He said,
“If this is the thinking of the Leader of Opposition, who views our army in terms of caste and religion, what could be more unfortunate than this?” Paswan reminded Rahul that his family ruled India for decades.
“If you wanted to divide the army in the name of caste, you could have done it then. The army should not be politicised. He has insulted the soldiers,” he said.
BJP MP Anurag Thakur accused Gandhi of “questioning the valour and dedication” of Indian soldiers, adding that “he speaks the language of Pakistan, but the public has always defeated him.”
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta accused Gandhi of taking caste politics to a dangerous level.
“It is these parties that have been doing caste politics for years, and now they are dragging the Army into this too. It is a matter of great shame,” she said, adding that those who “go abroad and speak ill of the country” and “question the existence of Lord Ram” were now undermining the military.
The BJP’s Karnataka unit posted on X that Gandhi, “a descendant of a dynasty that kept a national party under its family's control,” was “letting his tongue run loose” on the issue.
The post accused the Congress of having “sidelined Dalits and backward classes” when in power, and said Gandhi had “stooped to the lowest level by engaging in caste hunting even in the armed forces.”
It likened his strategy to the British “divide and rule” policy, calling the Congress “a danger to the security of this country.”
Even outside the NDA fold, criticism poured in. Former finance minister and Trinamool Congress leader Yashwant Sinha said he was “disappointed at Rahul Gandhi dragging the Indian Army into a caste debate.” He added, “The only caste the Indian Army has is patriotism, courage and sacrifice.”
