My goal is to ensure representation for 90% of population, says Rahul
With reservation occupying the centre stage in the 2024 general election, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi accelerated his campaign for caste census saying he has the clarity that he is not in pursuit of power. Instead, he is working to ensure representation for 90% of the Indian population. At the same time, he chided the Congress for making mistakes in the past, exhorting his party to transform its politics.
Mr. Gandhi was speaking in Lucknow on Friday at the Rashtriya Samvidhan Sammelan organised by the Samruddha Bharat Foundation.
The Constitution, Mr.
Gandhi said, has been a success but not an overarching one. It has failed to full the expectations of its founding members since its benets are not extended uniformly to all groups.
“95% of the Indian population that falls under the categories of backward communities, Dalits, Tribals, minorities and economically weaker sections among the forward castes still do not have a corresponding share of representation in the media, judiciary, bureaucracy or the corporate world. In this backdrop, the caste census only seeks to establish “Hindustan ki sachai” (India’s truth). The BJP leaders are saying they will end reservation but the
Congress will not allow it, asserted Mr. Gandhi. “Reservation is the voice of 90% of India,” he said.
He branded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “21st century monarch” who works according to his whim without paying heed to Parliament, his Cabinet or the Constitution. He reiterated that Mr. Modi will not return as Prime Minister.
“Political leaders stumble through their lives chasing power, spending every minute how to gain it, but without attaining clarity of political thought. I have got the clarity that I have to work to ensure representation for the 90% of our population. And this battle has to be fought with love, respect and strength”.