Anurag Thakur's Misleading Claims On Reservations, Prez Nominations & Agniveers

Was Nehru against reservation? Was Rajiv Gandhi Against OBC Reservations? We debunk few claims made by Anurag Thakur

A recent, fiery speech made to the Lok Sabha by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Member of Parliament from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur attracted criticism from the opposition. Thakur attacked Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi over his caste identity, leading to a spat between the two.

Team WebQoof went through Thakur's speech to check whether the claims made were true or not.

Claim 1: Former Prime Minister 'RG 1' Was Against Reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs)

At 35:00 minutes of the speech, Thakur referred to the late former PM Rajiv Gandhi as 'RG 1' and said that he was against OBC reservations.

However, this claim is false.

What we found: We went through a speech made by Gandhi in the parliament on 6 September 1990 during the discussion of the Mandal Commission Report and Measures for Promotion.

• Nowhere in the speech did Gandhi say that he was against OBC reservations.

• Gandhi urged the parliament to move towards a common goal of a 'casteless' society in his entire speech.

• He said that solely providing education, financial assistance, or reservations would not help those really in need, as it would require a "comprehensive plan."

To verify further, we spoke to Sudheendra Kulkarni, columnist and former Director of Operations of the PMO for former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1999-2004). Kulkarni said, "Rajiv Gandhi did not oppose OBC reservations."

• He added that Gandhi had strong 'reservations' about the hurried manner in which VP Singh's government announced implementation of the Mandal Commission's recommendations.

Claim 2: Thakur said that former PM Jawaharlal Nehru was against reservations. 

At 36:06 minutes, Thakur hit out at against former PM Nehru and mentioned that he was completely against reservations. Quoting a letter written by him to his then chief ministers, Thakur tried to substantiate the claim.

• Incidentally, the same claim was made by PM Modi in February during the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha.

• Team WebQoof had checked this claim and found that it was misleading. You can read the story here.

What we found: We found an archive of the book named Letters For A Nation: From Jawaharlal Nehru To His Chief Ministers on Wayback Machine.

In a letter dated 27 June 1961, he wrote, "The recent meeting we held here, at which the Chief Ministers were present, to consider national integration, laid down that help should be given on economic considerations and not on caste."

I react strongly against anything which leads to inefficiency and second-rate standards. I want my country to be a first class country in everything. The moment we encourage the second-rate, we are lost."

PM Nehru, Letters For A Nation: From Jawaharlal Nehru To His Chief Ministers

Nehru said that the real way to help a backward group is to provide opportunities of good education that includes technical education. The letter read that the government has made two important decisions universal free elementary education and scholarships on a very wide scale.

Thakur, misleadingly, skipped the part about providing opportunities of good education to backward groups while quoting Nehru's letter in the parliament.

Claim 3: Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government made APJ Abdul Kalam President

Thakur spoke about BJP's 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and betterment of minorities. At 37:20 minutes, he said that APJ Abdul Kalam was made president by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government.

However, this claim is misleading.

What we found: According to a report by The Hindu from 14 June 2002, the Congress declared that it would support APJ Abdul Kalam, the ruling National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) proposed presidential candidate.

• The left bloc nominated Captain Lakshmi Sahgal as their candidate for the presidential elections in 2002.

• The Congress did not have a separate candidate standing with their support.

Claim 4: Agniveer Scheme has 100% employment guarantee 

At 39:33 minutes, Thakur claimed that the Agniveer scheme, or the Agnipath scheme, has a 100 percent employment guarantee. However, we went through the scheme's detailed document which does not mention anything along these lines.

What we found: In the 'discharge' section of the document, all 'agniveers' would be discharged on completion of 'four years of service.'

• Another point mentioned that after completion of four years, Agniveers will be paid a ‘Seva Nidhi’ package to enable them to return to the society for pursuing employment in other sectors.

• Agniveers will not be eligible for any kind of pension or gratuity, neither will they be eligible for Ex Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Canteen Stores Department (CSD) facilities, Ex Serviceman status and other related benefits.

Team WebQoof had debunked several claims surrounding this scheme and its caveats in a detailed fact-check, when Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had discussed the topic in parliament.

You can read our report here.

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