'10% control the Army': Rahul Gandhi’s caste claim at Bihar rally; BJP terms remark disgraceful

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday made a striking claim in Bihar, alleging that country's 10 per cent, referring to upper castes, "hold control over the Army."

Addressing a poll rally in Aurangabad's Kutumba, Rahul said, "90 per cent of the people come from extremely backward, backward, Dalit, and Adivasi communities." He went on to assert that these groups - forming the vast majority of India's population - remain largely excluded from power and privilege.


"All the wealth goes to them, all the jobs go to them. Look at the judiciary - they have control there, and even in the army," Rahul said, in one of his most direct attacks on the country's social and institutional hierarchy.

He further added, "90 per cent of India's population is nowhere to be found," suggesting that marginalised communities have been systematically denied access to leadership and opportunity.

The BJP hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Army. Party spokesperson Suresh Nakhua, in a post on X, said, "Rahul Gandhi is now searching for caste in the Armed Forces and says 10% of people control it. In his hate for PM Modi, he has already crossed the line into hating India."


Another BJP spokesperson, Sanju Verma, also hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks, saying, “Rahul Gandhi is shamelessly devious and deviously shameless. Listening to him in this clip leaves no doubt that this failed, forever-in-waiting PM is desperately trying to polarize. Now he is trying to divide the Army on caste lines — what an unhinged wreck this Leader of Opposition is. Disgraceful.”


Directing his attack to Bihar government, Rahul painted a picture of unemployment in the state, blaming the Nitish Kumar government for pushing its youth into low-paying, menial labour across the country.

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"The people of Bihar are doing manual labour across the entire country. In different parts of the country, people from Bihar are building large buildings, roads, tunnels, and factories," he said.

Accusing the state government of failing its people, Rahul added, "In other words, the truth is this—that Nitish Kumar has wiped out employment here and turned the people of Bihar into the country’s labourers."

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