Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge stress the need for English education to uplift Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis. Backing Telangana’s caste census, they call for equitable access and criticize BJP’s double standards on education and reservation policies.
In a strong push for equitable education, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday vocally supported the expansion of English-medium education across India, especially for the socio-economically weaker sections. Speaking at a programme where Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy presented a report on the state’s caste census to Congress MPs, both leaders emphasized the transformative role of English education in India.
Rahul Gandhi, reiterating his long-held view, called English the “single biggest determinant of success and progress” in India today. He underscored that access to English education should not be the privilege of only the elite or ruling class but must be democratized to empower Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and other marginalized communities.
“What is the single biggest factor that determines success for an individual in India? It is education in English,” Gandhi said. “If you ask BJP leaders who say English should be eliminated — where do their children study? In English-medium schools, of course. Then why should the poorest in India be deprived of that opportunity?”
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks were a direct critique of the ideological position held by many in the BJP and RSS, who advocate for prioritizing vernacular education while quietly securing English education for their own families. He questioned the hypocrisy embedded in such double standards and demanded equal opportunity for all children, regardless of caste or class.
Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Gandhi’s sentiments, asserting that a society can only advance with the combination of economic strength, human strength, and mental strength. “In today’s time, the English language has become a necessity, and if we do not promote it, it will become very difficult,” Kharge said. He warned that efforts to suppress access to English for the poor would further deepen existing inequalities.
Taking aim at those who champion regional language-based nationalism, Kharge said, “Some people want their children to learn English in expensive private schools, but deny the same right to the children of the poor. They pay lakhs for elite education, while opposing public investment in the same for underprivileged students.”
The Congress president also lauded the Telangana government’s decision to conduct a caste-based census, saying it was a step toward ensuring social justice. He urged other states to adopt the Telangana model and recognize the need to assess caste data to formulate equitable policies. “Since Rahul Gandhi ji started speaking about it, today the backward class has also become aware, as their share is now being discussed,” Kharge added.
He firmly asserted that a caste-based census does not harm any community and, instead, is essential for empowering those historically left out of development. “I express my gratitude for the way the caste-based census work has been carried out in Telangana. The work that Rahul Gandhi ji has done, we need to take it forward.”
Highlighting Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Kharge said it was a historic initiative in which Gandhi traveled from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to raise awareness and demand rights for SC, ST, and OBC communities. “In this work, Rahul Gandhi ji did not consider profit or loss. He only focused on how to advance the backward people of the country — economically, socially, and educationally — and this is a very big task.”
On the ongoing demand to breach the 50% ceiling on reservations to allow for proportional representation, especially the 42% quota for Backward Classes, Kharge reminded the audience that the BJP-led central government had already broken this barrier by providing 10% reservation to economically weaker sections among the upper castes.
“When the people of Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes in the country come together to support Congress socially and politically, the 50 per cent barrier will be surpassed,” Kharge declared, calling for a political and social alliance among marginalized groups.
| Also Read: Piyush Goyal: India in advanced trade talks with US, EU, and more |
The event marked yet another strategic pitch by the Congress to consolidate support among SC, ST, and OBC voters ahead of future electoral battles — with English-medium education and caste-based census emerging as the party’s key planks for inclusive development and justice.
