NEW DELHI: Congress’s key ally, Samajwadi Party, has unequivocally distanced itself from the “Brahmanvaad” remark of Left-wing student leader Neha Bora.The AISA president, under the patronage of INDIA bloc leaders, gained limelight for fiercely criticising the poll body chief Gyanesh Kumar and the electoral roll purge under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).On Bora’s “need freedom from Brahmanvaad” remark, Samajwadi Party’s Rajeev Rai said: “Making such a sweeping statement is not appropriate. Every religion has both good and bad people; we shouldn’t make such generalisations… We should avoid them. That is exactly what the BJP wants; why should we fall into their trap?”Rai, who represents the Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, firmly repudiated the AISA leader’s rhetoric riddled with “sweeping generalisations”.“In this day and age, the kind of rhetoric being used is simply unacceptable. There is no basis for it. We shouldn’t make sweeping generalisations about any caste, community, religion, or region,” he said.Akhilesh Yadav’s party is not the only one to shrug off Bora’s statement, as Uddhav Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also called her assertions “unfortunate”, saying radical thinking, be it from the Right or the Left, is harmful to the nation.“It is highly unfortunate. While I believe this may be an old video, it reveals a mindset that asserts rapes happen in temples, are committed by priests, and that Brahmin women are unsafe. I generally avoid focusing on caste, but as a Brahmin woman myself, I must ask: is it appropriate to use such derogatory language? I have always maintained that this kind of radical thinking—whether from the Left or the Right—is harmful to the nation,” the former Rajya Sabha member said.She, however, said she would like to “sit down with Neha Bora and explain that not everything should be viewed through the lens of caste or religion”.“She is young, talented, bright, and smart, with the drive to fight for a cause; she ought to use her intellect more constructively,” Chaturvedi said.Earlier, the BJP targeted Bora over a video showing her criticising the “Brahmanical system”, with party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari accusing her of spreading “Hindu hate”.Sharing the video on X, Bhandari called Bora the “poster girl” of what he described as Rahul Gandhi’s anti-Hindu politics.In the video, Bora is heard speaking about women’s safety and criticising the Brahmanical system. She reportedly referred to the Unnao and Kathua cases while making her remarks.Bhandari also linked her comments to an earlier statement by Rahul Gandhi on the safety of women.“Neha Bora poster girl of Rahul Gandhi displays her Hindu hate,” Bhandari wrote.He added, “She is inspired from Rahul Gandhi who earlier had said ‘Mandiro main ladkiyon ke sath ched chad hoti hai’.”“Congress Hates Hindus, loves vote bank! Congress Soch is a threat to India’s unity!” Bhandari posted.The remarks triggered a political row after the video surfaced on social media. However, the clip is undated, and the circumstances in which Bora made the comments could not be independently verified.Bora has been actively involved in protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.She took part in an October 10 demonstration organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and student groups in Delhi. Police detained several protesters, including Bora, as restrictions on public gatherings were imposed in parts of the capital.
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The AISA president also backed the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally against the CEC, urging people to join the opposition’s demonstration in Delhi.She has also appeared alongside Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders during protests against the poll body chief. Bora was also present at “mock” Parliament which was organised to symbolically “impeach” Gyanesh Kumar.
