One did not expect that in the run-up to the UP elections, round the corner, the ruling Congress party and its heir-apparent-the prospective prime ministerial candidate-Rahu Gandhi, would stoop so low as to dig out the OBC caste of their favourite US-based NRI Sam Pitroda, a telecom professional who is currently working as an Adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on "infrastructure, information and innovations", to try to cash it to woo OBC voters. Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda(Sam Pitroda) has been sharing his expertise with the Indian govt, off and on, for over two decades. No one knew his OBC background(carpenter caste), nor it was seemed necessary or relevant.
Yet, being familiar with the Nehru-Gandhi's penchant for exploiting the accursed and ugly aspects of our traditional past, in its pursuit of despicable vote-bank politics, Rahul Gandhi, supposedly a young, modern and progressive face of the party, highlighted Pitroda's caste details in an election rally in UP recently. No wonder, the party paraded Pitroda as the central figure along with a few leading Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal and Mrs Rita Bahuguna Joshi at the party's election manifesto release function in Lucknow yesterday, January 31.
Although press reports seem to suggest that Pitroda was enjoying the attention and playing along with a new OBC iconic identity, there was a lurking hint of some unease behind the facade. When asked about his caste, he said,"Today, my caste is science". Further asked if he liked the way he was being projected as an "OBC leader", his reply was:"That is Rahul Gandhi's(prerogative). I am not trying to fit into any caste and there is no question of being projected as a member of any community". Is it not a most undignified and cynical exploitation of a high-ranking professional to play casteist politics at his expense and clear embarrassment? Is it not a measure of the Congress desperation on the eve of the UP elections to pull out all stops in order to somehow win?
Yet, being familiar with the Nehru-Gandhi's penchant for exploiting the accursed and ugly aspects of our traditional past, in its pursuit of despicable vote-bank politics, Rahul Gandhi, supposedly a young, modern and progressive face of the party, highlighted Pitroda's caste details in an election rally in UP recently. No wonder, the party paraded Pitroda as the central figure along with a few leading Congress leaders like Kapil Sibal and Mrs Rita Bahuguna Joshi at the party's election manifesto release function in Lucknow yesterday, January 31.
Although press reports seem to suggest that Pitroda was enjoying the attention and playing along with a new OBC iconic identity, there was a lurking hint of some unease behind the facade. When asked about his caste, he said,"Today, my caste is science". Further asked if he liked the way he was being projected as an "OBC leader", his reply was:"That is Rahul Gandhi's(prerogative). I am not trying to fit into any caste and there is no question of being projected as a member of any community". Is it not a most undignified and cynical exploitation of a high-ranking professional to play casteist politics at his expense and clear embarrassment? Is it not a measure of the Congress desperation on the eve of the UP elections to pull out all stops in order to somehow win?
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