Rahul Gandhi: Only 6 per cent of India's population controls its wealth

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that 88 per cent of India's population consisted of OBC, Dalit, tribal and backward communities, but their participation in different sectors, including administration, judiciary and media, was very low.

Addressing a gathering at Wada taluka in Maharashtra's Palghar district during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, Gandhi said individuals constituting just 6 per cent of the population controlled the country's wealth and power.

The Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad also said private insurance companies, and not farmers, benefit from crop insurance schemes launched by the government.

When rains and hailstorms cause damage to crops, the affected farmers do not get any help despite the government paying a huge amount of premium to insurance companies, he said.

The former Congress president once again emphasised on a nationwide caste census to do away with imbalances in the administration and other sectors, and added that if the Congress was voted to power at the Centre, it would conduct such an exercise.

The Congress MP questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his contribution to the welfare of OBCs. "The poor are looted through GST (goods and services tax)," he alleged.

When land is acquired for various projects, those affected are the poorer sections of society, and not rich industrialists, said Gandhi, whose yatra is in its last phase.

As part of his yatra, Gandhi went round predominantly tribal areas of Palghar district, which is located adjoining Mumbai, and covered Mokhada, Jawhar and Wada towns, where he was greeted by local residents.

On Saturday, Gandhi will address a gathering in Thane city and then travel to Mumbai, where his yatra, which began from Manipur on 14 January, will conclude with a rally on 17 March.