In an exclusive interview with NewsX, Priya Sahgal, Editorial Director of NewsX, ITV Network, and Author, spoke with Captain Sachin Pilot about the narrative surrounding Rahul dodging Amethi, religion, reservation, and Rajasthan. He emphasized the Congress party’s focus on substantive issues over personality-driven politics, highlighting the positive agenda outlined in their manifesto. Pilot highlighted the BJP’s tendency to deflect by attacking past governments. He clarified the party’s stance on reservations, affirming support for affirmative action based on socio-economic backwardness, not religion. When asked about the party’s positioning regarding castes, Pilot stressed the importance of data-driven policy-making and understanding community needs for effective governance. He advocated for a scientific approach to policymaking, emphasizing the necessity of assessing policy effectiveness and providing targeted support to deprived communities.
Priya asked him about the Prime Minister’s recent interview, querying, “Have you heard the Prime Minister’s interview where he discussed the Congress track record? PM Modi said Congress calls us dictators, but what about their own record regarding democracy? How many governments have they dismissed? How many people did they target during the emergency? How many were imprisoned?
Sachin replied, “So, 50 years ago, what government, what did was one thing. I think it’s a unique phenomenon that the ruling party is making accusations against the opposition. Look at this Sarkar. Here, it’s quite the opposite; the BJP has been accusing us since Nehru’s time. ‘What have you done?’ Give a report card, discuss and debate performance, delivery, commitment, promises, and assurances. What has the BJP done? ‘Nehru said this, Rajiv said that.’ This also shows that you don’t have something to defend in your own record. That’s why you go back and attack things that happened 50- 60 years ago.”
Priya further inquired, “What about your manifesto? Your stance on reservation has stirred controversy. Are you planning to remove reservations from certain groups and extend them to minorities? How do you plan to implement these changes?”
To which Sachin responded, “The Constitution is the most sacred text for anyone in this country. It clearly outlines a legal framework wherein socially and educationally backward classes should receive assistance. We believe in providing help and affirmative action to those who are not in the mainstream, whether they belong to STs, SCs, OBCs, or economically backward segments of forward castes.”
“There is no mention of religious-based reservations in the Congress manifesto. It’s not in the Constitution, it’s not in our manifesto, and it’s just not possible,” he added.
Priya continued asking him, “But people are saying you’re trying to position someone as the face of the party, like Rajiv Gandhi was known for his vision. Is Congress positioning itself as the champion of overseas and backward castes?”
Sachin remarked, “India has progressed in the last 25 years, But has the wealth percolated down to the bottom of the pyramid? No. We need a medium to abdicate. That is why we should conduct a caste census? The Congress Book Committee decided that we must understand the geographical spread and societal placement when making policy decisions. Only then can we allocate funds, make programs, and target communities effectively. Who can argue with that logic? And the Congress Party? It’s not that we are saying you look at the data about it, seeing social combinations is a reality of Indian politics, but it doesn’t define our politics. Does policy-making happen once governments are formed? Once you are in government, you have to work for everybody. But you really can’t make a scientific assessment of what is needed and what is to be given. If you don’t know the numbers, if you don’t know who is the brain, what condition, then how do you justify? Also, so many years have gone by; I doubt our policies are working. Are we getting enough results from what we’ve done? Sometimes people could be in the other more deprived communities; thus, we should target those. That’s the reason why I think the Congress party has clearly said that we are in favor of having a center so that we get to know exactly how to.”
He continued, “The Congress Party advocates for a scientific approach to policy-making based on empirical data. We believe that understanding the current conditions of communities is essential to formulate effective policies and programs. This is not about defining politics based on social combinations but ensuring that policy-making is informed and inclusive.”
“So many years have passed, and we must assess whether our policies are yielding results. Sometimes, the most deprived communities need targeted support. That’s why the Congress party supports having a census to understand how best to allocate resources and support communities,” he concluded.
Captain Sachin Pilot is an Indian politician. Earlier, he served as the MoS (Independent charge) Corporate Affairs & MoS Communication & IT, Government of India. Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan and also President of the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee. As a member of the Congress party, he has represented the Tonk assembly seat in Rajasthan since 2018. Pilot became the youngest citizen of India to become a Member of Parliament, at the age of 26.
Pilot was previously a member of the Indian Parliament for Ajmer in 2009 and Dausa constituencies of Rajasthan, becoming the youngest member of parliament when he was elected from the latter seat in 2004, aged 26. He was unseated from the Lok Sabha during the 2014 election from Ajmer constituency. He served as the Minister of Corporate Affairs in the UPA-2 government tenure (2012–2014).
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