Rahul Gandhi vows to remove 50% cap on reservations: 'Caste census is the biggest...'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has pledged to lift the 50% cap on reservations and conduct a caste census if elected. Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai on Monday, Gandhi stated, “Caste census is the biggest issue before us and we will get it done; it is our central pillar.”

Describing the upcoming November 20 Maharashtra assembly elections as a battle of ideologies, Gandhi framed it as a contest between a handful of billionaires and the common people. He accused the ruling BJP of prioritizing industrial interests over public welfare, claiming that projects worth Rs 7 lakh crore, including those involving Foxconn and Airbus, were shifted from Maharashtra to Gujarat, resulting in job losses for youth in Maharashtra.

Gandhi asserted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition government would stand for the people of Maharashtra. He also raised concerns over the Dharavi redevelopment project in Mumbai, alleging that the entire process was skewed to favor one individual. “The entire political machinery was twisted to help one person in the Dharavi redevelopment scheme,” Gandhi said.

During the press conference, Gandhi criticized the BJP’s slogan ‘ek hai toh safe hai,’ alleging that the party's policies were designed to benefit industrialist Gautam Adani. To illustrate his point, Gandhi brought a safe on stage, from which he pulled out a poster showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Adani. “They are safe till they are together,” he said, emphasizing their close ties.

The second poster extracted from the safe depicted a map of the Adani Group’s involvement in the Dharavi project. Gandhi claimed the safe symbolized Mumbai’s wealth, which he alleged was being targeted by Adani with support from the BJP-led government. “The Dharavi redevelopment is unfair, and it is being done to benefit only one person. We are not convinced how tenders are being given. Only one person is given all the ports, airports, and wealth of India,” he remarked.