Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Dalits, OBCs, SC/STs, backward classes, and the poor are being oppressed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government. He reiterated that the Congress party is committed to “breaking the wall of 50 per cent reservation” and declared that no one can stop this initiative.

Donning his trademark white T-shirt and holding a copy of the Constitution, Gandhi addressed the Congress party’s ‘Jai Bapu – Jai Bhim – Jai Samvidhaan’ rally in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. He described the current political battle as one between the Constitution and the BJP-RSS.

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Speaking just three days after the first anniversary of the Ram Temple consecration at Ayodhya and amidst the ongoing Mahakumbh at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi accused the BJP of exclusion.

He stated, “The BJP did not invite even our tribal President, Droupadi Murmu, to the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya on January 24, 2024.” He further alleged that no farmers, labourers, Dalits, or individuals from SC/ST communities were included in the event.

Gandhi also criticized the BJP for excluding the President from the inauguration of the new Parliament building, accusing the party and the RSS of consistently insulting Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.

“The BJP and RSS want to change the Constitution framed by Baba Saheb Ambedkar to recreate a pre-independence-like situation, where the poor have no rights and only the rich benefit,” he alleged.

Accusing the BJP-led Union government of serving the interests of billionaires, Gandhi said that employment opportunities are being destroyed while the nation’s wealth is being handed over to a few crony capitalists. “When even IIT/IIM graduates struggle to find jobs, how will the common people get employment,” he asked the large gathering at the birthplace of Dr Ambedkar.

Addressing Congress workers as ‘Babbar Sher’ (lions), Gandhi praised their efforts in safeguarding the Constitution. He emphasized that the current fight pits those defending the Constitution against the BJP and RSS, who, he claimed, are trying to dismantle it.

“It is because of our Constitution that Dalits, OBCs, SC/STs, the poor, and backward communities have gained the right to fight for their rights. Before its implementation, only the rich and the ruling class had any rights,” Gandhi asserted.

He pledged that the Congress party would surpass the 50 per cent reservation cap and introduce legislation in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha to achieve this goal. “We will conduct a nationwide caste-based census as soon as the Congress comes to power,” Gandhi announced, adding that Prime Minister Modi would never take such an initiative due to fear.

“The day our Constitution is changed, the poor will suffer the most, as there will be nothing left in the country for the backward classes, Dalits, tribals, and the poor,” Gandhi warned.