'Why is there no reservation in Indian Army?': Rahul Gandhi's '10 per cent' claim irks Rajnath Singh, netizens

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue of reservations in the defence forces, saying the Congress leader should know that "running the country is not a game for children". 

Rahul Gandhi, during an election rally, claimed that 10 per cent of the population control everything in the country, from major companies to the armed forces and added, "You won't find the remaining 90 per cent population represented anywhere."

Addressing a public rally in Bihar's Jamui district, the defence minister said the Indian Army has no religion or caste.

Our soldiers have only one dharma—Sainya dharma, Singh said and asked the Congress leader not to drag the armed forces into politics. 

"Whenever this country has faced a crisis, our soldiers have raised India's head high by demonstrating their bravery and valour. This politics of caste, sect, and religion has caused great harm to the country, and our thinking is that all sections of society should be uplifted."

The defence minister said his government supports reservations for the poor and the backward, but the Army cannot be seen through the lens of caste. "This politics of sect and religion has caused great harm to the country," Singh was quoted as saying.

Netizens slam Gandhi 

The remarks by the Congress leader did not go down well with a section of social media users, who observed that "bullets don’t ask for your reservation before they hit."

The Indian Army needs bravery, not caste, noted a user.

According to another user, the defence forces is the most effective organisation because there is no reservation.

"There is no reservation in Defence because to get the best person to defend our sovereign country," wrote a user.

Introducing broad-based reservations in the Armed Forces risks diluting this foundation, observed another.

Supporting voices

However, there were a few who agreed with the Congress leader as well.

A user said: "The Defence Services must implement reservation in the non-fighting executive vertical."

India