Shri Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, speech at Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan in Rajgir, Bihar
I looked Modi ji in the eye in the Lok Sabha and said that the caste census will definitely take place.
Shri Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, speech at Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan in Rajgir, Bihar: Bihar was once considered the land of truth, justice, and non-violence. It had shown the path to the entire world; people from across the globe used to come to study at Nalanda University.
But today, the situation has completely changed. People from Bihar are now forced to migrate to other states and even abroad because there are no employment opportunities here. Today, Bihar has become the crime capital of the country.
After entering politics in 2004, I gradually started discovering the real India. I began to realise that 90% of the country’s population has no real representation anywhere. The backward classes, Dalits, Adivasis, and extremely backward communities have no meaningful presence — neither in the corporate sector, nor in the judiciary, bureaucracy, or among the owners of private hospitals and other institutions.
On the other hand, the lists of MGNREGA workers and gig workers are filled with Dalits, backward classes, Adivasis, extremely backward communities, and the poor from the general category. They make up 90% of the population, yet they control less than 5% of the country’s resources. These 90% people are the biggest shareholders of suffering, but they have no real participation anywhere else.
I am interested in the truth. That’s why I raised the issue of the caste census, so that the reality of the country could be revealed like an X-ray. Modi ji used to call himself OBC in every speech, but later he started saying that there is no caste in the country. I looked Modi ji in the eye in the Lok Sabha and said that the caste census will definitely take place. I knew that with just a little pressure, he would surrender. The BJP-RSS have a habit of surrendering; it's part of their history.
The day the BJP conducts a proper caste census, its politics will come to an end. In the BJP-model caste census, questions were decided behind closed doors by bureaucrats… and none of those officials represented the 90% majority of the population. The BJP's model is: We will decide the questions. If you want to answer, fine; if you don’t want to answer, don’t.
In Telangana, representatives from Dalits, backward classes, tribals, extremely backward classes, minorities, and the general category were asked which questions they wanted to include in the caste census. Around 300,000 people decided the questions in public meetings. Then government officials visited every household and collected data. It was found that in Telangana, Dalits, OBCs and tribals do not receive government contracts.
The BJP is talking about conducting a caste census in 2027, but I don't believe it will conduct it in an appropriate manner. The day a proper caste census is done in the country, it will not be just an X-ray... it will prove to be an MRI. I want to show the country the truth about how much injustice is being done to 90% of the population. I want to do this not for politics, but for the country and for the truth.
The Constitution states that this country belongs to everyone. Caste census is a way to protect this Constitution. I do not want a country where children are lied to that even if they belong to marginalised communities, they can still become doctors or engineers. The reality is that the paths for their progress simply do not exist.
The ceiling of 50% on reservation in the country is meaningless. After seeing the outcome of the caste census in Telangana, the Chief Minister removed the 50% reservation limit. Wherever our government is formed, we will break the 50% reservation barrier. Once the data from the caste census comes out, the development paradigm will change.
The Constitution embodies an ancient philosophy — the thoughts of Lord Shiva, Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar, Narayana Guru, and Basavanna. This ideological battle has been going on for thousands of years. On one side stands Mahatma Gandhi; on the other, Godse. We must not be afraid of those who follow the ideology of the RSS and BJP.
(for more news apart Shri Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, speech at Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan in Rajgir, Bihar saty tuned to rozana spokesman)