Daijiworld Media Network - Patna
Patna, Sep 24: While addressing the Extremely Backward Dialogue Conference in Patna, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, accusing him of ignoring the rights of Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs) for over two decades.
As part of his visit to attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Gandhi unveiled a 10-point proposal developed in collaboration with community members, aiming to guarantee equal participation and constitutional rights for marginalised groups. Leaders of the INDIA bloc, including Tejashwi Yadav, Mukesh Sahani, and Dipankar Bhattacharya, were present during the announcement.
“These are not our ideas; they come from the voices of the community. Every section will receive the rights they were denied for 20 years,” Gandhi said, accusing the ruling NDA of using these communities as vote banks and abandoning them after elections.
He also criticised the Election Commission, hinting at an upcoming revelation to "expose" both the NDA government and the electoral process, claiming that voters' rights are under threat. He referenced the Voter Adhikar Yatra, a campaign that travelled across Bihar to raise awareness about alleged attempts to manipulate voter rolls.
Among the key promises in the proposal:
• A nationwide caste census to accurately count backward communities.
• A push to remove the 50% cap on reservations, enabling fairer representation.
• 50% reservation in government contracts worth ?25 crore or more to benefit backward sections directly.
Rahul Gandhi called the plan “historic,” positioning it as part of a broader vision for social justice and power-sharing, not just in Bihar, but across India. He also denounced restrictions on caste-based protests in states like Uttar Pradesh and said the Congress would work to empower backward communities through real participation in governance, not tokenism.
He concluded by assuring that under a Grand Alliance government, every community would be ensured equal rights and meaningful representation, rooted in the Constitution.