'How many Dalits, Adivasis in high courts?' Rahul Gandhi asks in Pratapgarh

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of participation of marginalised communities in high courts and bureaucracy in the country

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a public rally during his ongoing Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh, raised the issue of participation of marginalised communities in high courts and bureaucracy in the country.

"Tell me, how many Dalits, Adivasis, and backward people are there in the high courts? You don't have courage, you are all sleeping. There are 650 high court judges. You have 73 per cent of the population, tell me how many people you have among the bureaucrats," he said.

The Gandhi scion was addressing a public gathering during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra march in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh on Monday.

A day earlier, the Congress leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, calling it a spectacle devoid of representation for lower castes.

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"Did you see the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple? Was there a single OBC face? There was Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and Narendra Modi," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

"People who constitute 73 per cent of the total population of the country were nowhere seen during the event. The BJP would never want them to assume the reins of the country," he said.

Further advocating for the need for a caste census, he called it an essential tool to expose social inequalities. "How much wealth do 73 per cent of castes have in this country? Caste census is the X-ray of the country. This will reveal everything," he added.

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is set to enter Amethi, his former Lok Sabha constituency, today (February 19). This coincides with a four-day visit by Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Gandhi in the 2019 general elections.

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This marks only the second occasion since 2019 that both leaders will be present in Amethi simultaneously, the previous instance being separate campaign events during the 2022 Assembly elections.