There’s social injustice in every sphere of India; no key role for people from 90% population: Rahul

PTI, Mar 5, 2024, 7:18 PM IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that social injustice prevailed in every institution in the country, and claimed that members belonging to backward, Dalit and other categories together forming 90 per cent population do not hold any key positions.

Gandhi was addressing a meeting by sitting atop an open jeep in Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra that entered the state on Saturday.

”How much is the population of people from backward classes in this country? It’s 50 per cent, then Dalits are 15 per cent, Scheduled Tribes (ST) eight per cent and minority 15 per cent, which comes to about 90 per cent. Now you take out the list of top industrialists and management of top companies, you will not find a single person belonging to this 90 per cent category,” he said.

”Similar is the situation in media. You will not find a single big journalist belonging to backward, Dalit or ST categories. It’s the same with TV anchors as well as media owners,” he claimed. ”Likewise, if you look at bureaucracy, 90 IAS officers at the Centre allocate the entire country’s budget. In Madhya Pradesh also, 60-70 IAS officers allocate the state’s budget. If you look at the list, you will not find a single person belonging to the 90 per cent category. Even if someone is there, then he must be looking after some minor ministry with a small budget,” he said.

So, this is called social injustice and it is happening in every institution, Gandhi added.

Similarly, in the list of owners of private hospitals, colleges and universities, not a single person belonging to the 90 per cent category will be found. You will not find a Dalit, Adivasi, person from the minority category in these institutions, he said. ”What is happening in the country is that 3 to 4 per cent people have captured it and no one can enter into that class. On the top, Adani and Ambani are sitting, and 30-40 bureaucrats, IAS officers are there who take all the decisions,” he alleged.

The former Congress president alleged that due to paper leak of examinations of government jobs for the posts of Patwari, police and others, the children of poor people suffer a lot while the wards of those belonging to 3-4 per cent category get the exam papers on their phones and prepare only for the five questions mentioned in it.

He also accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of making people fight among themselves on the basis of religion, caste and language.

State Congress president Jitu Patwari was present with Gandhi in Shajapur.

Gandhi’s yatra later reached Ujjain, where former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath accompanied him to the Mahakaleshwar temple to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. According to Congress sources, Gandhi prayed for the progress of the people of the state and the country.