During this meeting, Rahul Gandhi submitted an extensive dissent note opposing all the proposed appointments, but the conversation went further than procedural disagreements alone.
As the Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi is an official member of the statutory selection committees responsible for choosing candidates for these oversight institutions. According to reports, he has consistently warned that the government is attempting to diminish the independence of bodies designed to uphold transparency and accountability.
In the meeting, he forcefully brought attention to issues of social justice, equitable access, and fair representation within high-ranking constitutional and autonomous offices.
Congress insiders stated that Gandhi stressed the immediate need to confront a longstanding pattern of excluding backward and marginalised communities—including Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis, and minorities—from these influential positions.
“Close to ninety per cent of the country’s population is effectively shut out of top-level institutional roles, and this exclusion disproportionately affects Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, and minority groups,” a senior Congress leader quoted him as saying.
Gandhi highlighted that such exclusion is not an isolated occurrence but part of a consistent trend observed in previous appointments to major national institutions.
He demanded greater transparency regarding the caste profiles of applicants to clearly reveal the imbalance in representation.
The Congress leader further noted that the government had acknowledged that fewer than seven per cent of applicants for these posts belonged to the Dalit community.
Even more concerning, only a single Dalit applicant was shortlisted, a detail that reinforced the seriousness of Gandhi’s objections.
“The government’s own statements support the argument Rahul Gandhi is presenting and further legitimise his call for fairness and social justice in these appointments,” the Congress source said.
Although Rahul Gandhi was reportedly assured that his concerns would be considered, analysts remain uncertain.
Given the government’s numerical dominance and veto authority within these selection panels, it is unclear how much influence the Leader of the Opposition will ultimately have on the final decisions.
This interaction represents another step in Gandhi’s ongoing effort to foreground the representation of historically marginalised communities as a central component of institutional reform, to create a more inclusive and equitable governance structure in India.
