The BJP on Sunday slammed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi after his comment on the absence of Dalit, Tribal, and OBC from the Miss India list.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju today hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about the representation of women from Dalit, Tribal, or Other Backward Classes communities in the Miss India pageant list.

He also accused Gandhi of stoking divisions in the country with his comments about the nationwide caste census. Rijiju pointed out that governments do not select candidates for Miss India, athletes for the Olympics, or actors for films and emphasised that leadership positions are indeed held by individuals from marginalized communities, such as the first tribal President, an OBC Prime Minister, and a record number of SC/ST Cabinet Ministers.

“Rahul Gandhi Ji can’t divide our country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that Supreme Court won’t be allowed to alter reservations in IAS, IPS, IFS, all top services recruitment. But he can’t see 1st Tribal President, OBC PM, Record Numbers of SC/ST Cabinet Ministers!” he wrote further.

B L Sreenivas Solanky, National Executive Member of BJP’s Yuva Morcha, highlighted that Riya Ekka from Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur, a tribal district, earned the Miss India title through her talent and perseverance.

He also expressed strong disapproval of Rahul Gandhi’s statement by stating, “No-one insults our OBC communities more than RaGa.”

At a ‘Samvidhan Samman Sammelan’ in Prayagraj, Gandhi mentioned that the Miss India list lacked representation from Dalit, Adivasi (tribal), or OBC women and criticized the mainstream media for the lack of representation from the 90 percent. 

“They will say Modiji embraced someone, and we have become a superpower. How have we become a superpower when 90 per cent of people have no participation”, the Congress leader wondered.

The former Congress president demanded a nationwide caste census and said it was not for any political reasons but to include the 90 per cent of India’s poor in the mainstream.

In his monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday that a lot of things are happening in India in the 21st century which are strengthening the foundation for a ’Viksit Bharat’.

In the 113th episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Prime Minister said his Independence Day call for one lakh youth without any political background to join politics has evoked wide reactions and urged the youngsters to enter public life for a developed India and stronger democracy.

Countless people from all walks of life joined the freedom movement even though they had no political background, PM Modi noted.

PM Modi said: ”They devoted themselves entirely to India’s independence. Today, to achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat, we need to rekindle that same spirit once again.”

A large number of young people are willing to join politics, and all they need is right opportunity and guidance, he said.

Modi said youngsters have written to him and reacted on social media to his call. They have noted that family politics suppresses new talent, he added.

During the programme, Modi spoke to several young entrepreneurs helming different space start-ups as they highlighted their work. They praised the growing vibrant space ecosystem in the country.

The Prime Minister said the youth of the country has benefitted a lot from various reforms in the space sector.

On the occasion, he noted that India celebrated its first National Space Day on August 23 to mark the first anniversary of the successful landing of its spacecraft on the Moon.

Highlighting works of different organisations and people in improving environment, he batted for collective efforts in the field.

PM Modi expressed his happiness and noted that today, many start-ups in the country too are involving themselves in efforts with an aim to promote the environment.

He said there is a team called e-conscious, that is using plastic waste to craft out eco-friendly products. This idea struck them on seeing litter spread around at our tourist places, especially in hilly areas, he added.

He mentioned a team comprising of like-minded people have begun a startup named Ecokaari, adding that they produce myriad beautiful items out of plastic waste.

Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith on Sunday stepped down as Kerala Chalachitra Academy chairman following allegations of misbehaviour levelled against him by a Bengali actor. 

In an audio clip sent to a television channel, filmmaker Ranjith expressed his intention to step down from his position to prevent any negative impact on the reputation of the Left government in the state.

He also stated his determination to address the allegations against him through legal means.

Bengali actor Sreelekha Mitra alleged that the filmmaker made advances towards her during the pre-production of a 2009 movie, leading to calls for an investigation into her allegations by key LDF constituent CPI, after the Justice Hema Committee’s findings.

She recently claimed that the filmmaker behaved inappropriately during the shooting of a film he directed, a charge which Ranjith has refuted, asserting that he is the “real victim” in the case.

“The person concerned (Ranjith) is a big name in the Malayalam film industry and a national award-winning director. I went to his residence to discuss an upcoming film project, and I did not like his behaviour. He made certain advances subtly and I felt uncomfortable while we were discussing the script,” Mitra said.

“I don’t know if he has treated other female actors in the film industry in the same way. It is up to them to open up or not if they have faced a similar situation. Maybe his power and influence played a role for others to not speak out,” she added.

Ranjith resigned in the face of intense protests against him and the state government due to these allegations.

On August 24, the opposition Congress and BJP demanded his resignation, contending that he had no moral right to continue in his position.

Additionally, senior Malayalam actor Siddique resigned from the post of general secretary of AMMA in response to rape and sexual assault allegations, which emerged following the release of the Justice Hema Committee report exposing incidents of casting couch and sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry.