Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi accused Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati of not allowing any other Scheduled Caste leader to rise in Uttar Pradesh.
Gearing up for support in one of the most crucial states for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi said the Indian National Congress will create a 'leadership space' for those interested in the community and urged his party leaders to ensure that Dalits get a greater representation within the Congress party.
Hinting at Mayawati, Gandhi added, "If you want to take this (Dalit) movement forward, then one Dalit leader or two Dalit leaders would not be enough. Lakhs of Dalit leaders are needed. The leadership of the movement has been captured by Mayawati. She doesn't allow others to rise."
To which, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain reacted on Twitter saying, "On one hand Rahul Gandhi is criticising Mayawati & on other his Govt is trying to close CBI cases against her."
According to reports, Central Bureau of Investigation is likely to close its investigations against the Dalit leader in the corruption case. The CBI has been investigating whether Mayawati's assets were disproportionate to her declared income.
At another public meeting in Delhi, Gandhi recalled the reaction over his remarks on the ordinance which proposed to negate a Supreme Court ruling on convicted politicians. "I was told by a journalist that the opposition is saying you chose the wrong time to speak. I asked if there is a right time to speak the truth. If you choose the time to speak the truth then it is not the truth but falsehood," he said.
Jupitor Remark by Rahul Gandhi
Drawing an analogy during a conference on Tuesday, Gandhi suggested that in India a Dalit needs to put in more effort to gain success.
"The escape velocity for earth is 11.2 km/sec while that of Jupiter is 60 km/sec. In India we have the concept of caste. There is an escape velocity here also. For a Dalit to achieve success the escape velocity required is that of Jupiter. More effort is needed," he said.
Top Tweets over Gandhi's Jupiter Remark
As soon as the Congress leader mentioned the Jupiter escape velocity analogy, hundreds of reactions poured out on micro-blogging site Twitter. Here are some of the top tweets:
@sea_handle : Actually lesser the escape velocity, better for the object. Earth is 11, Jupiter 49. Please pass the joint Mr Ghandhi. Please.
@babumoshoy : That Jupiter-velocity remark convinces me Stephen Hawking is Rahul Gandhi's speechwriter.
@farzana_versey : RT @harshpolicy: Imagine Rahul Gandhi making Indians fly at 59.5 km/sec. That is 214,200 km/hr. Jupiter's escape velocity.
@indiantweeter : Rahul Gandhi for Jupiter's president. Please RT
@mint_ed 5h : Escape velocity on Earth : 11.2 km/sec; on Jupiter : 59.5 km/ sec. Someone knows their physics.
Click here to see Rahul Gandhi's speech at the conference.
