Overview
- At a rally in Kutumba, Bihar, Rahul Gandhi said upper castes comprising about 10% of the population control the Army and major institutions, leaving the remaining 90% unrepresented.
- He argued that Dalit, backward, Adivasi and minority communities form the vast majority yet are largely absent from top companies, jobs, the judiciary and the armed forces.
- The BJP condemned the comments as demeaning to the military and accused Gandhi of injecting caste into the armed forces, with spokesperson Suresh Nakhua issuing a public rebuttal.
- News18 reported that the BJP is seeking an apology as Bihar’s assembly elections are set to begin this week.
- The dispute revives earlier criticism of Gandhi’s military-related remarks, which prompted a defamation complaint in Lucknow and a Supreme Court reprimand in August.