‘Why are Bahujan entrepreneurs left out?’ Rahul Gandhi targets Center over contract data gap
New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi Questioned why the Modi government did not preserve data on public works contracts worth over Rs 16,500 crore awarded to Dalits, Adivasis and OBC-owned companies, and accused the Center of fueling a “deliberately constructed system of exclusion” after Parliament told him that no such records existed.In an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi asked for details of public works and infrastructure contracts awarded by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in the past five years, specifically asking how many were awarded to undertakings owned by SC, ST and OBC.
government response
In a written reply, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that while the government can provide the total number and value of contracts awarded every year, “there is no existing mechanism to track contracts awarded to businesses belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).”The government also clarified that all such contracts are construction contracts and maintaining caste-based data is “not mandatory” for them. On the question of increasing procurement authority for companies belonging to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, the minister replied: “In view of the above, the issue does not arise.”
‘Deliberate exclusion’: Rahul Gandhi
Opposition leaders responded to the government’s response on social media, saying it was “deeply worrying”.“The government does not keep any data in this regard,” Gandhi said. “The policy stipulates that 25% of public procurement must come from MSMEs, with 4% earmarked for Dalit and Adivasis entrepreneurs. However, when it comes to the largest and most lucrative public works contracts, the government claims that this requirement is not ‘mandatory’.”He argued that this was “not just an administrative error; it was a deliberately constructed system of exclusion fostered through the Modi government’s policies that undermined social and economic justice.”“The question is simple: Why are Bahujan entrepreneurs excluded from the country’s largest public contracts?” he added.Rahul Gandhi further stated in his post that the government’s public procurement policy for MSMEs requires central ministries and public sector enterprises to source 25 per cent of procurement from micro, small and medium enterprises, with 4 per cent earmarked for enterprises owned by Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes.However, the government has now clarified in Parliament that this provision is not mandatory for public works contracts, which are typically some of the largest and most profitable government tenders. The contracts were awarded through an open tender process and no centralized database of social categories of contractors was maintained.The exchange took place ahead of assembly elections in several states. Gandhi’s office said the lack of such data raises broader concerns about fair access and transparency in government spending.“The Modi government must be held accountable for this,” Gandhi said.
