LUCKNOW, March 14 -- Congress leader and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, while paying tribute to BSP founder Kanshi Ram, made a candid admission on Friday that his party's past shortcomings on the socio-political front paved the way for Kanshi Ram's success. Speaking at a 'Samajik Parivartan Diwas' event in Lucknow ahead of Kanshi Ram's birth anniversary which falls on March 15, Gandhi asserted that had Jawaharlal Nehru been alive, Kanshi Ram would have been a Congress chief minister. Beyond reflecting on history, Gandhi also said that had Congress performed its duties effectively, Kanshi Ram would not have achieved such success. "There were lacunae by the Congress party, and that is why Kanshi Ramji was successful. Had Congress performed its duties effectively, Kanshi Ram would not have been able to achieve such success," he said. "Had Jawaharlal Nehru been alive, Kanshi Ram would have been the Congress' chief minister," he added. Rahul also reiterated his commitment to a caste census and vowed to protect the Constitution as long as he lives. "We have made up our mind to get the caste census done, and Dalit, backward and tribal people will get space in India's power structure. I will not leave this issue," he said. The Congress leader explained his point, stating that 85% of the country's population doesn't get enough representation in all social and political institutions. However, the rest of the 15% reaps the benefits. "Take any institution in the country (bureaucracy, council of ministers, etc.) and you will find they do not represent 85% of the population. Check the names of CEOs of 500 big companies. There will be no tribal, backward, Dalit, or minority. Go to Adani's companies and their suppliers and check the names, you won't find any Dalit or backward person. Go to a private hospital, and the situation is the same, while the Constitution says this country is for all and all are equal," he said, holding a copy of the Constitution. "Take out the list of MGNREGA workers and even those who made this hall we stand in today. You will find 100% backward, tribal and Dalit people. And this situation is getting worse," Rahul said. Pointing out how institutions are weeding out students based on their social location, Rahul said: "I went to Delhi University and found the interviews are being used as a way to weed out candidates." He further targeted the Union government and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the lack of representation for Dalits, backward classes and tribals, advocating for the principle of "representation proportional to population." "Take out the list of the RSS, their pracharaks, their organisation, and you won't find any Dalit or OBC. The fight is clear. For the sake of saying all are Indian, but when it comes to distributing money or power, you are not Indian. And this is against the Constitution," he pointed out the dominance of a particular section of society and their roles in ruling. "I would say here that Ambedkar and Gandhi's Constitution is the most important thing for me, and I shall protect it as long as I live. I earlier thought it to be a book, but it has the voice of India," said Rahul . The Congress leader said that the voices of those who opposed the Constitution, including Savarkar and Nathuram Godse, is not there. "Whatever they say, Narendra Modi does not believe in the Constitution." Rahul further elaborated that there are fundamental differences between Ambedkar, Gandhiji, Kanshi Ram and Savarkar. "Ambedkar, an intellectual studied at Columbia, gave his life for society, but the main thing is he never compromised. Neither did Kanshi Ram compromise on his vision, nor did Gandhi, who was jailed for 10-15 years," he said in his 32-minute speech....