Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has alleged that communities considered upper castes “have total control” over India’s corporates, bureaucracy, and even the armed forces. Speaking in Kutumba, Bihar, on the final day of campaigning for the first phase of assembly elections scheduled for 6 November, Gandhi claimed that Dalits, backward classes, and minorities, who he said make up 90% of India’s population, are largely absent from positions of influence. His remarks have since triggered sharp criticism from BJP leaders.
Addressing a rally in Kutumba, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Castes where Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Ram is contesting as the Mahagathbandhan candidate, Gandhi questioned the social composition of India’s largest companies and institutions.
“Take out the list of the 500 biggest companies, and search for Dalits, Extremely Backward Classes, Mahadalits, minorities, Adivasis in them. You will not find anyone. You won’t find a single one. All of them come from the 10% population,” he said.
He added, “All the bank wealth goes to them. All the jobs go to them. They get a place in the bureaucracy. Look at the judiciary. They get everything there too. They have control over the army. And the 90% population, you will not find them anywhere.”
While the armed forces do not release caste-based data, limited information exists about the representation of communities in the higher judiciary.
BJP Calls Remarks ‘Dangerous & Divisive’
Gandhi reiterated his demand for a nationwide caste census, calling it essential for ensuring equal representation and social justice. However, his reference to the armed forces drew strong backlash from the BJP.
“Rahul Gandhi now wants to divide even our Armed Forces on caste lines!” BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari posted on X. “The Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force stand for Nation First, not caste, creed or class. Rahul Gandhi is Anti-Indian Army!”
Andhra Pradesh minister Satya Kumar Yadav also criticised him, saying: “By dragging the Indian Army into his casteist tirade, he has insulted one of the world’s most professional and apolitical forces.”
Rahul Gandhi has made the caste census a key part of his political agenda, particularly in Bihar, where Congress’s ally RJD draws support from backward classes and Muslims.
India has not released nationwide caste data since 1931, though Bihar conducted a caste survey in 2023 that found the unreserved or upper-caste population at just over 15%.