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The Congress wants to build the perception that Rahul Gandhi can dictate the Modi government’s decisions
Rahul Gandhi addressing a press conference in New Delhi. (Photo: Congress YouTube)
Rahul Gandhi did not waste time the moment he landed in Delhi on Wednesday after visits to Kanpur and Raebareli. He held a press conference while thanking the central government for announcing a caste census. The Congress leader was very clear on what he wanted. There is no denying the fact that this announcement by the union cabinet of a caste survey as part of the larger population census is being seen as a big win for Rahul Gandhi by the Congress. Just moments after the announcement was made, the Congress, officially and one leader after another, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, gave the credit to Rahul Gandhi.
In fact, many of them said that the Narendra Modi government runs according to Rahul Gandhi’s wishes. At the press conference, Rahul made it very clear that he wanted a timeline from the government. What was the design, increased budgetary allocation, and an assurance that the plan would be such that it would ensure the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would get job reservations in private and other institutions as well. But more than that, he asked for the review of the 50% cap on reservations.
In the last one year, Rahul Gandhi’s politics has been focused on the caste census, accusing the Modi government of being only pro-rich. Rahul Gandhi has done this for some damage control to his image of being an “entitled neta”. His “white t-shirt revolution” is part of this narrative that he is fighting for equality for the people of India.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his argument and narrative that the Constitution was under threat because the backward classes were being denied their basic rights clicked with the masses to some degree. It did not, however, in state elections like Maharashtra and Haryana. Ahead of this year’s Bihar elections, caste will be an important political factor. Rahul Gandhi was hoping that it would work for his party, but the BJP may have taken some air out of it. However, it’s very clear that the Congress and Rahul Gandhi will campaign and make the point that the Modi government has come under pressure.
In fact, at a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that the PM would always have to listen to him. In the past, Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have also taken credit for the pressure he imposed on the Modi government for the rollback of the three farm laws and also post-Covid pandemic policies. As far as the caste census goes, the Bharatiya Janata Party is insisting that the Gandhis did not ensure it while they were at the Centre and that it was the fulfilment of a commitment made by the Modi government a couple of months ago. The fact, though, is that the Congress wants to build the perception that Rahul Gandhi can dictate the government’s decisions.
After being called “Pappu” for a long time by the BJP and its supporters, this narrative is crucial. It is very important for the party to show that he is a serious politician, someone whom no one in the government can ignore anymore.
Armed with this, Rahul Gandhi, though restrained, did the press conference because he wanted to make the point that he forced the government’s hands. But this is unlikely to be the end of his caste politics. He will continue to put pressure on the government to ensure that the 50% cap is breached. Rahul Gandhi wants to go back to those days, with more and more jobs being given to the OBCs. After losing out over the years, with regional parties emerging as messiahs of the backward classes, the ultimate electoral card is being played by Rahul Gandhi.
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