Nearly 90% of Telangana’s population is either Dalit, Adivasi, backward, or a minority, as revealed by the state’s caste census, said the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, February 3, while replying to the Motion of Thanks in Parliament.

“We have conducted a caste census in Telangana, and what we found is shocking. Almost 90% of Telangana’s population is either Dalit, Adivasi, backward, or minority,” Gandhi said, adding, “I am convinced that this is the story across the country. I am convinced that the OBC population is not less than 50%, 16% are Dalits, 9% are Adivasis, and 15% are minorities.”

“At the centre of any new developmental paradigm for this country, which runs parallel to the production paradigm and works together, is the participation of the lower classes, OBCs, Dalits, and Adivasis in the wealth of this country,” Gandhi said, recalling last year’s budget when he raised objections over a photograph of officers seen with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the halwa ceremony. He noted that no Dalit or OBC member was included with Sitharaman. “This time, the photo has been removed entirely,” he added.

“If we look at the largest corporates in the country, none of them are owned by OBCs, Dalits, or tribals,” he said. “If we look at the biggest media companies that support the Prime Minister, none of them are owned by OBCs, Dalits, or tribals,” Gandhi added.

Need for caste census

“Central to any new developmental paradigm is the architecture of that new paradigm, and that architecture can only be built once the caste census is placed on the table,” Gandhi emphasised.

He argued that once the caste census is available, we will know exactly how much of the country’s wealth, power, and institutions are controlled by the 90% of the population.

“There are OBC, Dalit, and Adivasi MPs in the BJP. Remember, you are 50% of the population, yet you have absolutely no power. I know you are sitting there, and you cannot even open your mouth. That is the truth of the country,” Gandhi added.

In response, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised Gandhi’s remarks, saying, “Are you blind? Can’t you see the face of the country’s Prime Minister?” Other BJP MPs also protested, asserting that the Prime Minister himself belongs to the OBC category.