Yet another foreign trip by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has stoked another round of controversy in the political circles of India and the Centre and BJP Leaders  on Wednesday also commented that Rahul Gandhi’s quota remark in a foreign land has exposed the Congress’ “anti-reservation face” and making “anti-national statements” has become a habit for the former Congress chief.

Sending a stern message to Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah said that as long as the BJP is there, no one can abolish reservation or mess with the nation’s security. The senior BJP Leader’s comments came after Rahul Gandhi told students of Georgetown University in the United States that the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when “India is a fair place”, which he said is not the case right now.

“Standing with forces that conspire to divide the country and making anti-national statements have become a habit for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party,” Shah said who was also joined by his other Cabinet colleagues including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Hitting back at the BJP for accusing Rahul Gandhi of making “anti-national statements”, the Congress said the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has only talked about upholding the Constitution and asked why the ruling party has a “problem” whenever there is such talk.

The Home Minister said whether it was supporting the National Conference’s “anti-national and anti-reservation agenda” in Jammu and Kashmir or making “anti-India statements” on foreign platforms, Rahul Gandhi has “always threatened” the nation’s security and hurt sentiments.

“Rahul Gandhi’s statement lays bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences. By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’s anti-reservation face to the forefront,” Shah expressed on social media.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati too alleged that the Congress leader was making misleading statements about reservation, and said his own party did not let the Bill on SC/ST reservation in promotions pass during its 10-year rule at the Centre.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also claimed that when not in power, the Congress talks about the “neglected” classes of SC, ST and OBC but when in power, it works “against” their interests. BSP is officially neither a part of the BJP-led NDA nor the Opposition INDIA bloc, whose key participants include the Congress and the SP.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flayed Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in the US and said it is “extremely shameful” that the Leader of Opposition is hurting the dignity of India by saying “misleading, baseless and factless things” during his foreign tour.

Singh also dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s claims on the India-China border dispute as “misleading and beyond facts” and asked the Congress leader to refrain from making such false statements.

At a press conference on Tuesday at the prestigious National Press Club in Washington, Rahul supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies on Pakistan but the Leader of Opposition was critical of the latter’s handling of China.

Responding to a question if he thinks India under Prime Minister Modi has managed the US-China competition well, Rahul said, “Well, if you call having Chinese troops in 4,000 square kilometres of our territory handling something well, then maybe”. “We’ve got Chinese troops occupying land the size of Delhi in Ladakh. I think that’s a disaster. Media doesn’t like to write about it,” he said.

Singh said the entire country recognises and respects the “great role” played by the Sikh community in protecting the culture of India.  It is not befitting for an Opposition leader to make such “false statements” about them, he added.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on minorities and said they are the safest in India. Responding to a question on Rahul Gandhi’s remarks in the US that RSS considers some religions, languages and communities inferior to others, Rijiju said, “No matter the amount of effort made, India cannot be defamed because India’s Constitution and culture do not differentiate between people.”

The Minister for Minority Affairs who also holds the Parliamentary Affairs portfolio pointed out that minorities in India’s neighbourhood come here if something wrong happens to them there. “Minorities are the safest in India,” he asserted.