Government Sources Refute Rahul Gandhi's Claims on Underrepresentation of Marginalized Communities in Constitutional Bodies

Gandhi had submitted a dissent note after the meeting to select the Chief Information Commissioner.

Government sources on Thursday challenged Rahul Gandhi's assertion that there was a "systematic pattern" of excluding marginalized communities from appointments to Constitutional and autonomous institutions. They referred to the UPA government's historical record and argued that Gandhi's claims do not withstand scrutiny.

Following the meeting between the Leader of the Opposition, PM Narendra Modi, and Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the selection of the Chief Information Commissioner, eight Information Commissioners, and a vigilance commissioner on Wednesday, Congress sources indicated that Gandhi had highlighted the exclusion of 90% of Indians from Dalit, Adivasi, OBC/EBC, and minority communities from the selection process.

The Congress MP claimed this exclusion represented a systemic pattern for such appointments and mentioned he had previously requested details on the caste composition of applicants weeks earlier. During the meeting, he reportedly discovered that less than 7% of applicants and only one shortlisted candidate came from these communities.

After the discussions, Gandhi formally submitted a dissent note that reportedly addressed both representation concerns and objections to the selection criteria.

Sources pointed out on Thursday that since the Central Information Commission's establishment in 2005 until 2014, during the Congress-led UPA government, not a single person from Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes was appointed to the commission.

"The NDA government appointed Suresh Chandra, a member of the ST community, to the Commission in 2018," a source stated. Additionally, Heeralal Samariya was appointed Information Commissioner in 2020 and later became the Chief Information Commissioner in 2023 - making him the first person from a Scheduled Caste to hold this position.

Regarding Wednesday's meeting, sources indicated that the recommendations for the eight Information Commissioner vacancies included one SC candidate, one ST candidate, one OBC candidate, one representative from the minority community, and one woman. "Overall, five of the eight recommended names were from disadvantaged sections," according to one source.