Rebel BJP leader Nana Patole, who had resigned from the Lok Sabha and the party a few days ago, has launched a fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Patole claimed that Modi secured OBC (Other Backward Classes) status by 'bogus' means as he became an OBC by using power.
Patole told THE WEEK that Modi has no concern whatsoever for the cause of the OBCs. According to Patole, Modi's caste was in the open category till 2001. When he became the Gujarat chief minister, Modi got it included in the OBC category in 2002.
Patole, himself an OBC leader from Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, is angry with Modi and the BJP for neglecting farmers and the larger OBC cause. He had won in 2014 on a BJP ticket from the Bhandara-Gondia Constituency. Patole had defeated NCP heavyweight Praful Patel by nearly 1.5 lakh votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
When in the BJP, Patole had been demanding a separate ministry for welfare of OBC communities. "If he (Modi) claims to be an OBC, he should take decisions, which will benefit the OBC communities. But when someone tries to raise their voice on this issue, they are silenced as he gets angry. I am an OBC and have been working for the cause for years. What was the need to stop scholarships for OBC students?" asked Patole.
"I am saying that Modi is a bogus OBC because his caste was an open category caste earlier and he got it included in the OBC category after becoming chief minister, by using his power," Patole told THE WEEK.
