In his recent Lok Sabha speech during the budget session, the leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi made an important observation about the OBC (Other Backward Caste) population of India. He quoted the caste survey conducted by Telangana government that showed the OBCs as comprising 56% of the state population, SCs (Scheduled Castes) ~17% and STs (Scheduled Tribes) ~10%. Thus, together, the three communities account for more than 80% of the state’s population. Extrapolating this data, Rahul Gandhi stated that he firmly believes that the OBCs likely account for more than 50% of India’s population and together with SCs & STs, they basically make up the overwhelming bulk of the country.
He is absolutely right in his argument because dating back to millennia even before the idea of India took birth, it is the various forms of artisans, skilled and unskilled laborers and farm workers, now categorized as “backward”, that made up the backbone of this land and therefore would undoubtedly be the “majority” section. He reinforced his demand for a nationwide caste census, an exercise that is long overdue. It is almost a full century since the last time such a census was done and published in 1931. Though the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government took up caste census in 2011, the data was never made public citing various reasons. Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly promised that the INDIA coalition will make it happen if and when they come to power. He reiterated that the OBC community is vastly under-represented in government positions whether it is bureaucracy, judiciary or any other sector. He even pointed out the obvious dearth of OBC, SC & ST representation in the corporate world. In an India that is more unequal than ever before, this only means that wealth disparities along caste lines will become even more concrete unless revolutionary corrective action is undertaken.
Historically, the Congress party headed by Rahul’s ancestors and other nationalist leaders never took the stance that he has now taken. In fact, there were several instances where the erstwhile Congress party and its leaders preferred to maintain the societal status quo and opposed the Mandal commission recommendation during its heyday. Congress was the principal opposition to independent OBC political forces when they first took root in many states. Rahul Gandhi’s steadfast stance is thus diametrically opposite to what his party once stood for.
The changed political scenario where BJP has taken over what used to be once a Congress party’s Nationalist forte that brushed caste realities under the rug has made Rahul adopt a socially relevant approach. He realized that the OBCs are going to be more and more politically assertive and it behooves the Congress party to take up the cause. This would be the only way out for the beleaguered Grand Old Party to counter the BJP juggernaut. However, it remains to be seen if the vast OBC population are ready to trust Rahul Gandhi. While being vocal about the OBC cause is certainly a first step forward, actions would speak louder than words. For beginners, in the same Telangana state that Rahul alluded to, the Congress chose to stick with the hegemonical Reddy caste for the Chief Minister post instead of bringing in OBC leadership. In erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh out of which Telangana was carved out, Congress party was a Reddy fiefdom and in selecting Revanth Reddy after winning the Assembly polls in 2023, Rahul opted for continuation of their rule. The number of OBC MLAs in Telangana, in fact, dropped from 22 in 2018 to 19 while at the same time Reddy MLAs account for more than a third of the assembly (43 out of 119). In the neighboring Andhra Pradesh, even after being completely down and out, Congress party opted for Y S Sharmila Reddy at the helm virtually taking away the PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) chief post from OBC and SC leaders that were previously holding it. The party still drew a flak in the 2024 Andhra Assembly elections.
A similar pattern was seen in Madhya Pradesh where Congress remained loyal to tested and failed leaders rather than ushering in fresh leadership from OBCs. Thus, Rahul Gandhi has a lot of work to do on the home turf before he can expect to gain the support of OBCs.
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his reply to the Parliament in the same budget session made it a point to sing the OBC tune. He repeatedly vowed to safeguard the interests of OBC, SC & ST communities and waxed eloquently about their increased representation in undergraduate medical seats and such under his watch. At the same time, he was careful to point out his government’s commitment to the poor among the hegemonical castes by specially mentioning the EWS (economically weaker section) reservations that he brought forth. His reference to “sab ka saath, sab ka vikas” and veiled jab at the caste census demand hinting that it is a divisive plan is an intentional attempt to paint an unrealistic picture of the society that we live in.
How can caste census newly divide an already divided society? This stance of the BJP is akin to what Congress did in the first 50 years of Independent India – paying lip service to the oppressed communities while working tirelessly to pander to the oppressor rule. However, the BJP, particularly in the last 10 years, has made strong in-roads in to the OBC population. In states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, where it is in direct fight with the Congress, BJP has hoisted OBC Chief Ministers in stark contrast to it’s contender. Even in states like Odisha and Chattisgarh, BJP has brought in ST chief ministers. While doing all this, Modi and the BJP top brass takes extreme care to keep toeing the Hindu majority line so as to stay in tune with the RSS. Thus, the idea is to tap in to the oppressed vote base but not by fighting for their cause, rather by co-opting them in to the Hindu fold, an utter paradox because it is that same ideology that made them “backward” in the first place. In this process, BJP has tasted stupendous electoral success by using Muslim minority bashing to the hilt through corrupting many oppressed communities. It remains to be seen how long this strategy will yield them ongoing benefits.
Only an ideologically-rooted, spirited battle will expose the deepfake game that the BJP is playing. The oppressed castes should realize that they are in the majority unlike the BJP’s falsely claimed religious majority and a new era of identity politics is the only way out. Until that happens, the saffron brigade will continue to win elections by hook or crook as we are witnessing time and again. Soft Hindutva whether it is peddled by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or certain sections of the Congress party cannot be an alternative to hard Hindutva. A diametrically opposite politics lead by forces that are buttressed in social justice can only thwart the threat of BJP and its ilk. This is best illustrated in Tamil Nadu where Dravidian politics have thus far resisted a BJP takeover.
Rahul Gandhi should walk the talk by letting the OBC parties of the INDIA block take the lead in fighting the BJP onslaught. It should be underscored that a “tukde tukde gang” is the only solution to Modi-style politics and it does not have to be a bipolar battle between Modi and Rahul Gandhi because India is a diverse country and hence leadership should reflect that diversity not monotony. Battle lines should be drawn at the state level as electoral politics and issues are specific to each state and not necessarily nationalist. It is precisely because of this understanding that the BJP is pitching for “One Nation One election” so as to further undermine the role of regional parties. Just as a rag-tag conglomerate of parties took on the behemoth Congress in 1989 resulting in it’s crushing defeat thereby changing the country’s politics forever, BJP’s downfall can only come from regional OBC, SC & ST political parties and other steadfast anti-BJP forces. Congress under Rahul Gandhi has an important role to play as an able supporter of this ideology particularly in states where it is in direct contest with the BJP.
G Naveen has been writing articles pertaining to politics with emphasis on social Justice for more than 20 years on various platforms. He is a physician by profession.
