'Tribal Girl Won Miss India': BJP Refutes Rahul Gandhi's Claim, Mentions 2022 Pageant Winner Riya Ekka

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday (August 25) refuted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's claim that a tribal woman has never become Miss India. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) saying that Riya Ekka, a woman from tribal community in Chhattisgarh, became Miss India in 2022.

What did Rahul Gandhi say earlier?

Rahul Gandhi made his Miss India remark during Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Prayagraj on Sunday as he made a case for caste census.

"I checked the list of Miss India to see if there would be any Dalit or tribal woman in it, but there was no women from Dalit, tribal or OBC," said Gandhi.

His comments were aimed at underlining lack of representation from all social stratas in every aspect of life in the country.

During his speech, he said that when Congress comes to power in the Centre, it will conduct caste census. The BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is often accused of delaying census.

"We will conduct a caste census and the 50 per cent cap on the reservation which I don't accept will be removed...First, we should have the data before us regarding the participation of different castes in various institutions...Talks of reservation are always held but they never get a chance," said Gandhi.

"90 per cent of the people are not a part of the system. They have the required skill, talent but they are not connected with the system. That's why we are demanding for a caste census." he added.