As Parliament witnessed protests on Friday, the government fielded senior dalit minister Ram Vilas Paswan who accused the opposition of casteist politics. Off the record, BJP leaders repeated the allegation while saying that Congress would pay for its negative politics.
The caste card appeared an addition to rural and woman background that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu mentioned in their statements in Parliament to seek a closure of the case after Jyoti's apology.
It appeared a BJP strategy to put the protestors on the defensive given the twin sensitivities of OBC-woman in the political landscape.
The charge left the opposition squirming, with an immediate riposte slamming the government of playing up non-issues to divert the focus from the objectionable comment which was "reflective of a divisive mindset".
READ ALSO: Opposition now wants censure motion against Niranjan Jyoti's hate speech
Dalit czarina and BSP supremo Mayawati said, "The PM claims that her background should be kept in mind. It would be improper to bring the whole Nishad community into this. There are many including MPs from the Nishad community in their party. If the minister is incompetent or has made an objectionable statement, then she should be removed and another person from that community should replace her."
She also rebutted rumours that Jyoti was a dalit, arguing that her community was OBC in Uttar Pradesh from where she is an MP.
Congress came out strongly to repeated references to Jyoti's background. "Everybody has some remote or direct connection with villages and village people are very erudite, sensible, great story-tellers and have tremendous amount of wisdom... we are truly proud to be associated with them," AICC spokesman Salman Khurshid said.
He added that affirmative action was provided for opportunities (reservation to backward classes) and did not sanction the violation of law.
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