Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has launched a strong critique against the Congress party, asserting that it has historically been "anti-quota" and against the empowerment of marginalized communities. Pradhan's statements come amidst ongoing debates about caste census and reservation policies in India.
Pradhan highlighted what he views as a generational opposition to reservations within the Congress party. He claimed that leaders from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rajiv Gandhi have, at various points, demonstrated resistance to the concept of caste-based reservations. He argued that Nehru was strongly opposed to caste-based quotas and even worked to defeat B.R. Ambedkar, a key architect of India's Constitution and a champion of Dalit rights. Pradhan further stated that Indira Gandhi mistreated Jagjivan Ram, another Dalit leader, and Sonia Gandhi humiliated Sitaram Kesri, who was from an OBC community.
Pradhan directly challenged Rahul Gandhi's claims that the Modi government has neglected the OBCs (Other Backward Classes). He countered this by stating that India has, for the first time, been led by an OBC leader for the past 11 years, a clear reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He further accused Rahul Gandhi of making false claims about vacant reserved posts for SCs (Scheduled Castes), STs (Scheduled Tribes), and OBCs in central universities.
To bolster his argument, Pradhan cited data related to central universities, stating that the NDA government has strengthened inclusiveness in higher education. He pointed to an increase in sanctioned posts from 16,217 in 2014 to 18,951 in 2025, and a reduction in vacancies from 37% to 25.8%. Additionally, he noted that over 8,150 SC, ST, and OBC faculty members have been appointed in recent years, contrasting this with what he described as the Congress party's inaction on this front during their time in power.
Pradhan specifically called out the alleged misuse of the "Not Found Suitable" (NFS) clause during Congress's rule, which he claims was used to block appointments from reserved categories. He challenged Rahul Gandhi to a public debate, either in Parliament or elsewhere, to compare the number of reserved posts converted under the NFS clause during Congress's tenure versus the period after 2019.
Pradhan also emphasized the significance of the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019, which, according to him, ensured reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs in all faculty positions for the first time. He presented this as a concrete step towards social justice, going beyond mere tokenism.
In a broader context, Pradhan accused the Congress party of being "anti-OBC and anti-social justice," suggesting that their criticism stems from discomfort with an OBC leader leading the country for the past 11 years. He also criticized the Congress for its opposition to the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar.
