Paromita Das
New Delhi: For over seven decades, the Congress Party has strategically used caste politics to consolidate its electoral base, often prioritizing identity-driven narratives over national development. What began as a mission to uplift marginalized communities has gradually morphed into a political tool designed to fragment society into vote banks, ensuring that power remains concentrated within the party’s control.
Instead of fostering a national vision that unites people across economic, social, and cultural lines, Congress has repeatedly exploited caste-based divisions, using quotas, reservations, and caste arithmetic to maintain its influence. Today, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, this legacy of caste appeasement has not only continued but has intensified, shifting the political discourse away from governance and economic progress towards identity-based polarization.
Telangana: A Case Study in Congress’s Caste-Centric Strategy
The recent developments in Telangana offer a stark example of how Congress continues to prioritize caste-based calculations over governance. The state’s Assembly recently passed two bills that increase OBC (Other Backward Classes) reservations to 42%, breaking the 50% ceiling set by the Supreme Court.
Rahul Gandhi hailed this move as “revolutionary,” declaring that Congress will ensure a nationwide caste census to determine the exact population of each caste group. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy echoed this sentiment, announcing that the state’s OBC population stands at 56.36% and justifying the increased reservations as a measure for equal participation in education, employment, and politics.
While this move has been framed as a victory for social justice, in reality, it is yet another example of Congress’s strategy of caste appeasement, where policies are driven by political expediency rather than long-term socio-economic benefits. Instead of focusing on education reforms, employment generation, infrastructure development, and economic growth, Congress continues to divide society into caste-based groups, reinforcing differences instead of fostering unity.
Why Bharat Does Not Need Caste-Based Politics Anymore
Bharat has evolved dramatically in the last few decades. The rise of urbanization, a growing middle class, and economic advancements have gradually diminished caste-based rigidities, especially in cities and semi-urban regions. However, Congress’s persistent efforts to resurrect caste divisions threaten to undo this progress.
- Caste Census: A Tool for Division, Not Empowerment
Rahul Gandhi’s aggressive push for a nationwide caste census is being positioned as a tool for social justice. However, in reality, it is a dangerous attempt to institutionalize caste-based divisions permanently. Instead of moving towards a society based on merit, skills, and equal opportunities, a caste census would encourage fragmentation, resentment, and political favoritism.
A census of this nature would not focus on economic conditions, access to education, or employment levels but rather on identifying caste groups to determine reservation quotas. This means that instead of unifying Bharat under a single developmental goal, Congress aims to turn every election into a battle of caste groups, where policies will be dictated by vote-bank politics rather than national interests.
- Breaking the 50% Reservation Cap: A Slippery Slope
The Telangana government’s decision to breach the 50% reservation limit is not just about OBCs; it sets a precedent for other states to follow suit. This opens the door for other political parties to demand higher quotas for their own caste groups, creating an endless cycle of reservation increases.
This shift raises a fundamental question—where does it end? If every community starts demanding separate reservations, the system will eventually collapse, weakening merit-based opportunities and fostering resentment among different groups. The focus must shift from caste-based reservations to economic and skill-based upliftment, ensuring that those truly in need, regardless of their caste, receive support.
- The Real Need: Economic and Skill Development
Bharat is at a crucial stage in its economic transformation. With a booming digital economy, advancements in artificial intelligence, growing manufacturing sectors, and increasing global investments, the real challenge is job creation, industrial expansion, and technological skill development.
Instead of addressing youth unemployment, inflation, infrastructure growth, and healthcare, Congress continues to push caste-based policies that do nothing to improve the economic prospects of the nation.
If Bharat truly wants to eradicate social inequality, the solution is not more reservations but better schools, advanced skill-training programs, entrepreneurship support, and economic policies that uplift everyone, regardless of caste. Countries like China, Japan, and South Korea have transformed their economies through education, innovation, and industrial development—not by creating permanent caste divisions in their societies.
Congress’s Caste Politics is a Hindrance to National Progress
Rahul Gandhi’s obsession with caste-based identity politics is a major distraction from the real issues facing Bharat today. The country does not need caste censuses and reservation expansions; it needs a vision for economic development, global leadership, and social equality based on economic progress rather than caste identity.
For years, Congress has used quotas and identity politics as a shortcut to gain electoral support without focusing on the real structural changes needed to uplift marginalized communities. True empowerment does not come from quotas but from equal access to education, opportunities, and employment.
Instead of leading Bharat toward a merit-driven, skill-oriented, and development-focused future, Congress is attempting to trap future generations in caste-based classifications, ensuring that people think of themselves not as Bharatiya but as members of specific caste groups.
This approach weakens national unity, fuels division, and keeps Bharat stuck in outdated political narratives that should have been left behind decades ago.
Bharat Needs a Vision of Equality, Not Division
As Bharat aspires to become a $5 trillion economy, a global manufacturing hub, and a leader in technology and innovation, it cannot afford to be held back by divisive caste-based politics. The future lies in education, skills, entrepreneurship, and economic development—not in caste censuses and reservation battles.
Rahul Gandhi’s politics is a continuation of Congress’s old strategy—one that prioritizes electoral gains over national progress. But Bharat has changed. The new generation of Bharatiya wants jobs, better education, and a higher standard of living, not caste-based classifications that limit opportunities rather than expand them.
It is time for Bharat to reject the politics of division and embrace a national vision of development, equality, and progress. True social justice will not come from caste-based quotas but from a society where opportunities are available to all, based on merit and capability rather than birth and identity.
The future of Bharat must be driven by innovation, education, and economic empowerment, not by the political manipulation of caste divisions. The people of this nation must now choose: a path of progress or a return to outdated caste-based politics that serve only political interests rather than the collective future of Bharat.
The post Congress and the Politics of Caste: Why Bharat Needs Development, Not Division appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates.
