'10% of India controls Army': Rahul Gandhi's remark kicks up row in Bihar

Rahul Gandhi

Addressing a rally in Bihar's Aurangabad, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi kicked up a row on Tuesday after he said the Army is 'under the control of 10 per cent of the country's population (referring to the so-called upper castes)'.

As political leaders cutting across parties make the last-minute effort to appeal to the electorate, Gandhi in his characteristic style said: "... only 10 per cent of the country's population (i.e., the 'upper castes') get opportunities in corporate sectors, bureaucracy, and the judiciary... even the Army is under their control."

"The remaining 90 per cent - backward classes, Dalits, scheduled tribes, and other minorities - are nowhere to be seen," he said, echoing calls for social justice and equal opportunities he has made over the past year, particularly over the opposition's demand for a national caste census.

He went on to add, "If you take out a list of India's 500 largest companies, you won't find anyone from the backward or Dalit communities there, they all come from that top 10 percent. All the jobs go to them. They have control over the armed forces. You won't find the remaining 90 percent population represented anywhere."

In his earlier speeches, Gandhi had said a national caste census would identify the 90 per cent of Indians sitting 'outside the system' and take steps to protect their rights and constitutional guarantees.

"We want the data. How many Dalits, OBCs (Other Backward Classes), women, minorities... are there. We are trying to protect the Constitution through this demand for a caste census." "If 90 per cent people don't have participatory rights, the Constitution can't be protected."

It is also not the first time Gandhi has made eyebrow-raising comments about the Army. In August he was reprimanded by the Supreme Court over a comment - "Chinese troops are thrashing Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh" - made during his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra'.

The comment was in reference to the India-China military face-off in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector in December 2022. He 2,000 sq km of Indian territory had since been occupied by China, and he blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for the "surrender".

But a bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AG Masih took strong exception to the remarks. "How did you get to know that 2,000 sq km of Indian land has been taken over by China? If you are a true Indian... you won't say all of this" Justice Datta rebuked Gandhi.

And in May the Allahabad High Court, overruling Rahul Gandhi's plea challenging a summons by a special court, said freedom of speech does not include the right to 'defame' the Army.