Fact Check: Clipped video of Rahul Gandhi falsely shared as Congress’ plans to scrap reservation

Hyderabad: Rahul Gandhi recently embarked on a three-day visit to the United States starting on September 8, 2024, marking his first international trip since the 2024 General Elections.

The Congress leader’s schedule included interactions with the Indian diaspora, as well as meetings with business leaders, academics and think tanks in cities such as Dallas and Washington, DC.

In this context, a video of Rahul Gandhi is making the rounds on social media claiming during an interaction he expressed his opinion that he and the Congress party intend to scrap reservations. In the viral clip, he is heard saying, “We will think of scrapping reservation when India is a fair place.”

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari shared the video and wrote, “Rahul Gandhi’s agenda exposed! Rahul and Congress intend to end reservations in India. This is why they had snatched rights of Dalits in Karnataka. Congress is anti-Dalit! (sic)” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is clipped and is being shared with missing context.

We ran a keyword search and came across the longer version of the video posted on X by PTI on September 10. Rahul Gandhi could be heard explaining about the population of Dalits, tribals and OBCs and their minuscule representation in the decision-making and finances of the government of India.

Rahul Gandhi, in his interaction, explained, “If you combine Dalits, tribals, and OBCs, they make up 73 per cent of the population. Yet, in a group of 70 people, there is only one tribal, three Dalits, three OBCs, and one minority representative. This means that 90 per cent of India controls less than 10 per cent of the positions that determine how finances are allocated. When you break down the financial numbers, tribals receive 10 paise out of every 100 rupees, Dalits receive 5 rupees, and OBCs a similar amount. The reality is that they lack proper representation, and 90 per cent of the population is being excluded from participating.”

He went on to highlight the lack of representation in business leadership: “If you look at the list of business leaders in India, there is only one OBC among 200 leaders, even though the community makes up 50 per cent of the population. We are not addressing the real issue—this imbalance is the problem.”

At the 1:46 minute mark, he stated, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place.”

The excerpt clearly showed that Rahul Gandhi was advocating for the continuation of reservations, not their abolition.

He emphasised that reservations should only be reconsidered when India becomes an equal society for all its citizens. According to Gandhi, the country’s resources are not being distributed fairly, with marginalised communities like Dalits, tribals, and OBCs receiving a disproportionately small share. In his view, until these inequalities are addressed, reservations remain essential to ensure representation and fairness.

We also came across an ABP News report of September 10, stating that Rahul Gandhi during an interaction with students at Georgetown University in Washington DC, said that the Congress party will think of scrapping the reservation when India is a fair place, which is not the case right now.

According to a Hindustan Times report dated September 12, Rahul Gandhi clarified his remarks regarding ‘ending reservation’ during his ongoing visit to the US, stating that his comments had been ‘misinterpreted.’ Speaking at the National Press Club in the US, he said, “Yesterday someone misrepresented my statement that I am against reservation. But let me make it clear – I am not against reservation. We will take reservations beyond the limit of 50 per cent.”