Fact Check: Rahul Gandhi’s video on scrapping caste-based quota is edited
Recently, Rahul Gandhi toured the United States where he met with the Indian diaspora and also held interactions with the US officials. An edited clip of the Congress leader's statement on caste-based quota is being widely circulated on social media.
At a poll rally during Lok Sabha elections 2024, Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi had said the INDIA bloc formed by opposition parties, would end the 50 percent reservation cap if it is voted to power at the Centre. He made this remark during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Bansgaon and it was attended by the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also promised that the opposition alliance will not only “throw out” the 50% reservation but will also increase it as their Congress government did in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Recently, Rahul Gandhi toured the United States where he met with the Indian diaspora and also held interactions with the US officials. An edited clip of the Congress leader is being widely circulated on social media.
While sharing the five second clip, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted that, “During his recent visit to the US, Rahul Gandhi said he would “end the reservation”. He also said that the Congress leader has only echoed what his family has been saying since the times of (former Prime Minister of India) Jawaharlal Nehru.
Fact Check:
During the investigation, the Telugu Post fact check team found that an edited clip of Rahul Gandhi’s speech was shared with misleading claims.
Rahul Gandhi’s US visit received wide coverage in Indian media. As part of his tour itinerary, the Congress MP met with the faculty and students at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Later, he shared the video of his visit on his official YouTube channel.
A student named Apoorva Ramakrishna posed a query to the Congress leader and wanted to know his and his party’s views on ending the caste-based reservation system. Responding to the student’s query, the Congress MP said, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place.”
At 53:37, you can watch the Q&A related to the future of caste-based reservation system in India.