Hyderabad:AICC leader Rahul Gandhi has once again lauded Telangana’s caste census, calling it a groundbreaking initiative that showcases a visionary, inclusive approach to social justice. Rahul Gandhi described the Telangana model as “Social Justice 2.0,” stressing that it is powered by 21st-century data and could serve as a template for the rest of India.Addressing Congress’ ‘Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan’ in Delhi on Friday, a gathering of party leaders from OBC communities across the country, Gandhi highlighted how the caste census in Telangana revealed stark disparities in pay between those from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) and their counterparts in corporate leadership.Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said that people from these marginalised communities are absent from the upper echelons of corporate management, where multi-lakh salary packages are reserved for the privileged.Elaborating on the Telangana census findings, Rahul Gandhi emphasised that SC, ST and OBC communities are typically employed in low-paying sectors like MGNREGA or as gig workers, while corporate elites, largely from upper castes, reap the financial rewards.Rahul Gandhi also reflected on the Congress’ emotional connection to Telangana, specifically recalling Sonia Gandhi’s pivotal role in the formation of the state. He expressed pride in the Congress-led Telangana government’s efforts to conduct the Socio-Economic Caste Survey, calling it a “sincere, inclusive, and consultative process” that sets a new standard for how caste-based data should be approached in India.The Telangana government, based on this survey, has recommended a historic 42 per cent reservation for OBCs in local body elections and educational institutions, a move that is currently awaiting Presidential assent.Rahul Gandhi criticised the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre accusing it of under-representing marginalised communities in India’s bureaucracy. He pointed out that Dalits, backward classes, tribals, and minorities together make up nearly 90 per cent of the country’s population, but they remain largely absent from key policy-making positions. “When the halwa was being distributed before the Budget was prepared, there was no one representing this 90 per cent,” Rahul Gandhi said.“It is this 90 per cent that forms the productive force of the nation. You are the ones who make the halwa, but they are the ones eating it.”The Congress leader acknowledged a past lapse on his part in not prioritising a caste census when he entered politics in 2004 under the UPA-1 government at the Centre. “My regret is that if I had known more about your history and your issues, I would have pushed for a caste census right at that time. But I am going to rectify it,” he admitted.
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