Rajnath Singh Slams Rahul Gandhi's '10% Control Army' Remark, Defends Military's Secular Nature

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (File).

Rajnath Singh strongly condemned Rahul Gandhi's comments about '10 per cent of India controlling the Army' on Wednesday. The Defence Minister accused the Congress MP of attempting to divide the armed forces, emphasizing that "the Army has no religion or caste".

While campaigning in Bihar ahead of the first phase of the Assembly election, Singh declared, "Rahul Gandhi is trying to create anarchy by demanding reservations in defence forces."

Singh criticized Gandhi for attempting to 'drag the Army into politics' and for making comments that appeared to advocate for community-based quotas within the armed forces.

"There should be a reservation. We (i.e., the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party) are supporters of reservations… we have given to the poor. But the Army? Our soldiers have only one religion - 'sainya dharma'," he stated, referring to the military code of conduct.

"There is no other religion besides this. Don't drag our Army into politics. Whenever this country has faced a crisis, our soldiers have raised India's head high by demonstrating bravery."

Singh criticized Gandhi for 'discriminating based on caste, sect, or religion, stating, "This politics of caste, sect, and religion has caused great harm to the country. Our thinking is that all sections should be uplifted. We don't want to discriminate."

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also criticized Rahul Gandhi.

"It is these parties that have been doing caste politics for years... and now they are dragging the Army into this. It is a matter of great shame..." she said, taking aim at Rahul Gandhi's foreign trips, a common attack strategy used by the BJP. "To those who go abroad and speak ill of the country... who raise questions about the Army, who compromise India's security..." she left her statement unfinished.

Rahul Gandhi sparked controversy on Tuesday when he claimed the Army is 'under the control of 10 per cent of the country's population (referring to the so-called upper castes)'.

During his campaign in Bihar's Aurangabad, he stated, "... only 10 per cent of the country's population (i.e., the 'upper castes') get opportunities in corporate sectors, bureaucracy, and the judiciary... even the Army is under their control."

"The remaining 90 per cent - backward classes, Dalits, scheduled tribes, and other minorities - are nowhere to be seen," he added, reiterating his calls for social justice and equal opportunities that he has been advocating over the past year, particularly regarding the opposition's demand for a national caste census.

This marks the first time he has included the military in this context.

However, this is not the first time Gandhi has made controversial statements about the Army.

In August, the Supreme Court reprimanded him over a remark - "Chinese troops are thrashing Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh" - made during his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

The comment referred to the India-China military confrontation in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector in December 2022. He claimed that 2,000 sq km of Indian territory had since been occupied by China, and he blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for the "surrender".

A bench consisting of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AG Masih strongly objected to these remarks. "How did you get to know that 2,000 sq km of Indian land has been taken over by China? If you are a true Indian... you won't say all of this," Justice Datta admonished Gandhi.