NFS used to keep SC/ST/OBC students from education, leadership roles: Rahul
According to Rahul, misuse of the “Not Found Suitable” clause is part of a broader political strategy, it’s “an attack on the Constitution”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (May 27) alleged that eligible candidates from SC, ST, and OBC communities were being deliberately declared “not found suitable” (NFS) so that they can be kept away from education and leadership roles.
Rahul made this charge in a post on X, sharing a video of his recent interaction with students of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU). “‘Not Found Suitable’ is the new Manuvaad now,” he wrote.
“Eligible candidates from SC/ST/OBC are being deliberately declared ‘unsuitable’ so that they are kept away from education and leadership,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha stated in Hindi.
Education key to equality, says Rahul
Rahul quoted BR Ambedkar during the interaction, addressing education as the greatest weapon to ensure equality. He accused the Narendra Modi-led Union government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of subverting this power.
“...the Modi government is busy blunting that weapon,” he said.
According to Rahul, the misuse of the “Not Found Suitable” clause is part of a broader political strategy. Rahul stated that more than 60 per cent of the reserved posts for Professors and over 30 per cent for Associate Professors remain vacant due to the NFS mechanism.
‘NFS is a betrayal of social justice’
“This is no exception — the same conspiracy is going on everywhere, IITs, Central Universities,” Rahul said. “NFS is an attack on the Constitution. NFS is a betrayal of social justice.”
Rahul criticised the use of NFS as a loophole to bypass constitutional reservation norms. The former Congress president stressed that reservation was never about charity, but about fighting for rights, dignity, and participation. He insisted that the right to reservation must be protected.
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Students’ concerns amplified through DUSU interaction
“I spoke to the students of DUSU. Now we all together will answer every anti-reservation move of BJP/RSS with the power of the Constitution,” Rahul added.
In the video, Rahul is heard telling the students that the Hindutva project’s foundation is to erase the history of the SCs, STs, and OBCs.
“Why is 90 per cent’s history not in our books? Why is only 10 per cent’s history in our books? Why is it not written, for example, in our history books that for 3,000 years, Dalits have been treated like dirt, have not been respected, have not been given any space in our society?” he says during the interaction.
DU criticizes Rahul’s visit to campus
On May 22, the Delhi University administration objected to Gandhi's unannounced visit, calling it a breach of institutional protocol.
“Shri Rahul Gandhi has done this for the second time... coming to the university without any intimation and information to University of Delhi,” the proctor’s office said in an official release.
Despite the university’s disapproval, the interaction was held at the office of the DUSU president, who belongs to the Congress-affiliated National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). The event drew attention to the lived experiences of marginalized students on campus.
(With agency inputs)