BJP's Prasad criticizes Gandhi's remarks on merit system

Ravi Shankar Prasad, a senior leader of the BJP, criticized Rahul Gandhi for his comments on India's merit system. Prasad said Gandhi made "ill-informed statements" about the concept of merit in the country. This response came after Gandhi described the merit system as flawed during a discussion with professor Sukhadeo Thorat. Prasad held a press conference on Sunday where he accused Gandhi of not doing his homework before making such claims. He questioned Gandhi’s qualifications for being the leader of the opposition, suggesting his appointment did not follow merit-based rules. Prasad stated that Gandhi should consider changing his tutor for better information about India. In his interview, Rahul Gandhi argued that India's educational and bureaucratic systems are biased against marginalized communities, such as Dalits, OBCs, and tribals. He claimed that those opposing a caste census aim to hide the truth about inequality and discrimination. Gandhi criticized the prevailing narrative as favoring upper-caste perspectives and suggested that the notion of merit itself is unfair.