BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi came in defense of party's Lok Sabha MP and former union minister Anurag Thakur saying his caste remarks were not targeted at any individual as he did not name anybody.
Anurag Thakur, launched a veiled attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday saying, "The one whose caste is not known is talking about the census."
Soon after this, the house erupted in an uproar and the Speaker ordered Thakur to sit to allow Rahul to respond, asking the Opposition MP to move out of the well and let their leader speak.
After his statement, Anurag Thakur has faced criticism from opposition leaders. Many opposition leaders have denounced Anurag Thakur's comments in Lok Sabha.
Amid flak from opposition parties over Thakur's remark, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi defended him, saying, "Anurag Thakur didn't name anyone, so who caught the flying arrow?"
Speaking to news Agency, ANI, Sudhasnu said, "I was not there in Lok Sabha when it happend, but what I heard later through media, Anurag Thakur did not take anyone's name then who is taking this on themselves on their own?"
Attacking the opposition for defending Rahul Gandhi, he said, "There is extreme confusion among the INDI Alliance. Akhilesh Yadav asks us how can we ask someone about their caste, then they say that they want to ask the whole nation's caste. They should clarify whether they want to ask or not."
Questioning Congress for not carrying out caste surveys in states where it is in power, he said, "Why are they not conducting it (caste-based census) where they are in power like Himachal, Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab or West Bengal? It has already been done in Karnataka, why are they not issuing the data?... There is a competition amongst the Opposition that who can create more ruckus in the Parliament..."
The Congress party on Wednesday, hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sharing the unedited speech of Anurag Thakur.
