In a video that has gone viral on social media, Rahul Gandhi is seen sharing an anecdote of him asking his security guard to get his leg X-ray done when the guard’s leg came under a vehicle. Further in this clip, he says, ‘ X-Ray matlab jaati janganana’ which, when translated to English, means ‘ the meaning of X-Ray is Caste Census’. Let’s check the veracity of this claim through this article.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi stated, ‘The meaning of X-ray is Caste Census.’
Fact: This claim is based on a clipped version of Rahul Gandhi’s actual speech, delivered in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. For context, Rahul Gandhi was describing his perspective on the caste census, which he has reportedly often referred to as the ‘X-ray of India,’ denoting its crucial role in understanding the socio-economic distribution amongst various caste groups in the country. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
A keyword search was conducted to authenticate the claim, leading to a Facebook video uploaded by News Tak on 19 February 2024. This video is an extended version of the clip in question, taken from Rahul Gandhi’s speech during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
Further investigation led us to the full-length video of this speech on the official YouTube channel of the Indian National Congress. The lines from the viral video can be heard from the 17:06 timestamp. Rahul Gandhi was providing an explanation about the Caste Census.
For context, Rahul Gandhi emphasised the importance of enumerating various caste groups in India, akin to how an X-ray would reveal a person’s internal state.
The portion before he mentions the X-Ray line from the 16:26 timestamp translated to English means ‘… Everyone has to be counted. How many poor general caste people are there in this country, and how much wealth do they have? How many backward classes are there in this country? How much money do they have? How much wealth do Adivasis have? How much money do Dalits have? Matlab jaati jan ganana (this counting means caste census). Just like when someone gets injured, the first thing we do… Today, our poor security guy’s leg came under a car. The first thing we did was .. brother, go and get an X-ray done first thing. X-ray means caste census.’
This metaphorical comparison has been a recurring theme in Rahul Gandhi’s speeches for several months (here, here and here).
According to a September 2023 report by Hindustan Times, Rahul Gandhi referred to the caste census as an ‘X-ray of India’ during an event in Chhattisgarh. As per his viewpoint, such a census would highlight the socio-economic distribution amongst various caste groups in the country, thus facilitating more inclusive development.
To sum up, the viral video of Rahul Gandhi allegedly stating, ‘The meaning of X-ray is Caste Census,’ is clipped and shared out of context.
