Efforts being made to erase history of Dalits, backward classes: Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi also again called for removing the current 50 per cent cap on reservations, arguing that doing so is crucial to safeguarding the Constitution
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that not much was taught in schools about the history of Dalit and those belonging to the Backward Classes. Speaking at the “Samvidhan Samman Sammelan” in Kolhapur, he attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre saying that efforts are on to now erase even the little facts that is known or taught about them.
“I am sharing my own experience. Maybe your experience could be different. I haven’t learnt that much but the history of the Dalits or backward classes in school. Now even the limited history that is being taught is being erased,” said Gandhi.
“The history of those considered skilled workforces such as barbers, cobblers, and factory workers is not there in our education system. There is nothing being told about these classes right from the struggle and the discrimination they face,” he said.
Gandhi also again called for removing the current 50 per cent cap on reservations, arguing that doing so is crucial to safeguarding the Constitution.
He assured that the INDIA bloc would work towards passing laws in Parliament to achieve this goal.
“We will make sure the 50 per cent cap on reservation is lifted in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and nothing can stop it. This step is essential for protecting the Constitution,” Gandhi reiterated.
He emphasized that the Congress and the INDIA bloc are committed to enacting legislation that would also pave the way for a caste-based census.
Gandhi had in the past during the campaign for Lok Sabha elections repeatedly called for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservation while also demanding a caste census.
At the programme, Gandhi elaborated on the need for a caste census, highlighting two key aspects: identifying the population of each community and examining their control over the nation’s financial system. He argued that such a census would provide crucial data on the composition of India’s different communities.
According to Gandhi, 90 per cent of India’s population is being denied opportunities. He claimed that the country’s budget is shaped by a small group of 90 top IAS officers, with only three belonging to the OBC community, despite OBCs making up at least 50 per cent of the population.
“Similarly, Dalits and Adivasis, who constitute 15 per cent and 8 per cent of the population respectively, have only three and one officers from their communities among the top decision-makers,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, saying there was no use of bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people and destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country.
“There is no use in bowing before Shivaji Maharaj after scaring people and destroying the Constitution and institutions in the country,” he said.
His comments were apparently targeted at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had apologised to Shivaji Maharaj and those hurt by the collapse of his statue. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is not just a name or a king. For us, he is our deity. Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity,” Modi had said on August 30 during his visit to Maharashtra.
The 35-foot statue of Shivaji Maharaj, which collapsed on August 26, was unveiled by the PM on December 4, 2023, on the occasion of Navy Day.
“There are two ideologies in the country - one which protects the Constitution that talks of equality and unity. This is Shivaji Maharaj’s ideology. The second ideology is the one that is into destroying the Constitution,” said Gandhi.
“They get up in the morning and plan how to destroy the Constitution, which is based on the ideals of the Shivaji Maharaj. They attack the institutions of the country, scare and threaten people and then bow before Shivaji’s statue. There is no use of it. If you pray before Shivaji’s statue, then you have to protect the Constitution,” he said.
He said the intentions are visible and cannot be hidden.
“They built Shivaji Maharaj’s statue and in a few days, it collapsed. Their intentions were not right. The statue gave them the message that if you built Shivaji Maharaj’s statue then you have to follow his ideals. Which is why the statue collapsed because their ideology is wrong,” he said.
When Shivaji Maharaj was to be coronated, it was the same ideology that did not allow his coronation. This is not new, he said.
“This is the same ideology that Shivaji Maharaj fought with. Congress is fighting with the same ideology that Shivaji Maharaj fought with,” Gandhi added.
The Indian Constitution is a manifestation of what the warrior king stood for. If people like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shahu Maharaj were not there, the Constitution also would not have been there, said Gandhi.
(With agency inputs)