A day after acknowledging that the Congress failed to understand the challenges faced by OBCs—giving space to BJP—Rahul Gandhi admitted on Friday that earlier in his political career, he didn’t do enough to support the OBC community because he couldn’t fully grasp their issues at the time.
Speaking at the Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan held at Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium, Rahul said he feels confident about his work for Tribals, Dalits, minorities, and women. However, when reflecting on his 21 years in politics, he admitted to falling short on supporting OBCs.
“I’ve worked on big things like MGNREGA, the Right to Food, and the Land Acquisition Bill. On issues of Dalits, Tribals, minorities, and women—I think I did well. But when I look back, I realize I didn’t do enough for the OBCs. That was my mistake. I just didn’t understand their issues then,” he said.
He explained that the problems of Dalits and Tribals were more visible—like untouchability or land and forest rights—but OBC issues are more complex and not always obvious.
“If I had understood your problems back then, I would have pushed for the caste census much earlier. That’s on me—not the Congress,” Rahul said. “The good thing is that now, the caste census will be done better than it could’ve been back then.”
He described the recent Telangana caste survey as a “tsunami” whose full impact will be felt soon. “Like an earthquake under the sea that triggers a tsunami hours later, this survey is going to shake things up,” he said.
Now, Rahul says he is committed to working “twice as hard” to support the OBC community moving forward.