New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday strongly advocated the need for education in English, saying this is necessary to uplift weaker sections of the society. 

They emphasised the need for English medium education while speaking at a programme, where Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy made a presentation on the caste census in the state before the Congress MPs.

Rahul Gandhi stated that English is the biggest determinant of success and progress in India.

“What is the single biggest factor that determines success for an individual in India? It is education in English - the single biggest determinant of success and progress in India. Meaning, an English education is much more powerful in India today," he said.

"If you ask all the BJP people who say English must be eliminated, which school do your children study in? Which college do their children study at? Do they study in an English-medium school? Yes or no? And the answer will always be that they study in an English-medium school. My question is, why should that opportunity not be given to the poorest person in India? To a Dalit, an Adivasi, or an OBC?"

Kharge stated that a society needs economic strength, human strength, and mental strength, and a society that has these three things progresses.

"In today’s time, the English language has become a necessity, and if we do not promote it, it will become very difficult," he said.

The Congress chief said that some people want their own children to learn English, but they do not want to give other people’s children the opportunity to learn English.

"Leaders of RSS, BJP and those who do agitation in the name of language pay lakhs in fees to educate their children in top schools. So, if the government educates poor children with public funds, what is the harm in that? However, they have no such intention," he said.

Praising the Congress leaders of Telangana for conducting the caste-based census, he called for implementing this model in other states as well, so that people can get their rightful dues.

Kharge said that wherever Rahul Gandhi went, he said that a caste-based census should be conducted so that the SC, ST, and OBC communities could get their rightful share. "Since Rahul Gandhi ji started speaking about it, today the backward class has also become aware, as their share is now being discussed.:

He stated that conducting a caste-based census does not cause injustice to anyone. "I express my gratitude for the way the caste-based census work has been carried out in Telangana. The work that Rahul Gandhi ji has done, we need to take it forward," he said

"The way Rahul Gandhi ji walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, raising his voice for the rights of SC, ST, OBC, no other leader can do that work. In this work, Rahul Gandhi ji did not consider profit or loss. He only focused on how to advance the backward people of the country — economically, socially, and educationally — and this is a very big task."

On the demand to remove the 50 per cent reservation barrier to allow 42 per cent reservation for BCs, Kharge said this limit was already broken with the PM Narendra Modi-led Central government providing 10 per cent reservation to economically and educationally backward among upper castes.

When the people of Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes in the country come together to support Congress socially and politically, the 50 per cent barrier will be surpassed, he said..

(IANS)