Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar stirred controversy with his remarks on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s religion and the Congress government’s approach to reservations.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Swadeshi Mela in Karimnagar, he questioned how Rajiv Gandhi could be considered a Hindu, claiming that his father, Feroze Jehangir Khan, had Parsi roots. He further alleged that the Gandhi family had no fixed caste, religion, or national identity, while praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “pure Indian” with global recognition.
Bandi Sanjay also accused the Congress government of unfairly including Muslims under the Backward Classes (BC) category, reducing the reservation share for other BCs. He claimed that out of the proposed 42% BC reservations, 10% would be allocated to Muslims, calling it an injustice.
The Minister further demanded laws against religious conversions and “love jihad” in Telangana, similar to those in Maharashtra. He asserted that if the state government includes Muslims in the BC category and submits the list to the Centre, it will not be approved. However, he assured that a revised list excluding Muslims would be accepted.
