Hyderabad: Leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Friday said the caste survey conducted by the Telangana govt—and the subsequent analysis by an independent expert group—made it clear that education, especially in English medium, is the most critical driver of socio-economic mobility for OBCs.Building on these findings, he announced that the Indian National Congress will push for reservations for OBCs and other marginalised groups in English medium private educational institutions—marking what he called the party’s third major step towards OBC empowerment.Speaking at the Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, Rahul said: “The Telangana caste survey revealed that those with an English medium education advanced further than even uneducated landlords and wealthy individuals. This does not mean Hindi or regional languages like Bengali, Tamil, or Kannada aren’t important—they are—but English is crucial for progress.”He criticised the BJP’s stance on phasing out English, questioning the hypocrisy of its leaders, whose own children are enrolled in English medium schools.Rahul Gandhi outlined the Congress party’s three-pronged agenda for OBC upliftment: Conducting caste surveys in all states where the party is in power, breaking the 50% cap on total reservations, and holding a national caste census if voted to power at Centre.He pointed out that OBCs, despite making up nearly 50% of India’s population, own no major corporate or media houses and have little to no representation in the judiciary and top institutions.Admitting past shortcomings, he said: “I did not fully understand the extent of injustice faced by OBCs earlier. And the OBCs themselves were not aware of their strength. This is because the RSS and BJP have systematically erased OBC history from textbooks. Unlike SC and ST history, OBC struggles are invisible in the school curriculum. That is deliberate.”Calling the RSS the ‘biggest enemy’ of OBCs, Rahul blamed ‘Manuvaadi ideology’ for institutional discrimination and vowed to correct past neglect. He praised chief minister Revanth Reddy, saying the state’s caste survey was a bold step. “Revanth Reddy told me he had no choice. He saw firsthand the injustice being done to OBCs and felt compelled to act,” Rahul Gandhi said.
