Rahul hits out at ‘flawed’ merit system, calls caste Census a must

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, has emphasised the importance of a caste Census for addressing inequalities in India. According to Gandhi, a caste census will reveal the truth about the systemic control over key sectors such as education, healthcare, politics and bureaucracy, providing a clear picture of who holds power and access in these institutions.

In a recent conversation with Sukhdeo Thorat, former chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and the University Grants Commission (UGC), Gandhi raised questions about the resistance to a caste Census. “Why are people so much against a caste Census? What don’t they like about it?” Gandhi asked.

He further argued that there has been a systematic capture of India’s core systems. “There is certainly a capture of our system: the education system, the healthcare system, the political system, the bureaucratic system. So for me, it is important that the truth of what is going on in India with regard to who has what access, who controls which institutions, who is where? To me, that is a fundamental nationalist exercise. I don’t think… I think it is not supporting the caste Census is actually anti-national because what you are saying is that we are not ready to accept the truth of what is going on in our country,” he said.

Gandhi also criticised the marginalisation of tribals and backward communities, stating, “The history of the Tribals, OBCs has just been eliminated.” He went on to say that discussions about the caste Census often lead to a reluctance to confront uncomfortable truths. “I have had discussions with people about the caste Census where I am saying look all we are doing is exposing the truth. Nothing else. And they will say to me directly that no one must not expose this truth.”

Gandhi also addressed the issue of merit, claiming that the current system is inherently flawed. “There is a completely flawed concept of merit where I confuse my social position with my capability. Because for anybody to say that our education system, our bureaucratic entry systems are fair to Dalits and OBCs and Tribals, I mean that is just a complete fallacy because they are culturally not connected to these communities at all,”

“So the entire narrative is an upper-caste narrative. This notion of merit is actually itself an unfair idea,” Gandhi further stated.

Furthermore, Rahul Gandhi accused the RSS and BJP of attempting to erase the history of marginalised communities, including Dalits, Tribals and OBCs.