Rahul’s statement on PM Modi: All you need to know about Teli caste

Teli caste’s OBC status in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi belongs to the Modh-Ghanchi caste, one of many Teli sub-castes, who have been historically engaged in activities related to the extraction and trade of edible oils, in Gujarat. Entry 23 in the central list of 104 OBC castes from Gujarat includes “Ghanchi (Muslim), Teli, Modh Ghanchi, Teli-Sahu, Teli-Rathod, Teli-Rathore.”

The Muslim Ghanchi community was added to the central list of OBCs in 1999. On April 4, 2000, communities from Gujarat such as “Teli”, “Modh Ganchi”, “Teli Sahu”, “Teli Rathod”, and “Teli Rathore” were added to Gujarat’s central list of OBCs.

Prime Minister Modi first became Chief Minister of Gujarat on October 7, 2001.

Teli caste outside Gujarat

Teli caste members are also present outside Gujarat. In eastern Uttar Pradesh, they usually go by the surname of Gupta, though some also use Modi.

In Bihar, among the 136 communities in the central list of OBCs, entry 53 says “Teli”. Similarly, in Rajasthan’s central list of OBC, entry 51 says “Teli”.

Modi surname and caste

There is no community or caste by the name “Modi” in the central list of OBCs for reservation in jobs and education.

In fact, many people use the surname Modi, which does not denote any specific community or caste. In Gujarat, the Modi surname is used by Hindus, Muslims, and Parsis. There are people with the Modi surname among Vaishnavas (Baniyas), Kharwas (fishermen from Porbandar), and Lohanas (who are a community of traders).

Then there is the Modhvanik community of Surat. Members of this community worship Modheshwari Mata, whose temple is near the Modhera Sun Temple in Mehsana district. There are around 10 lakh Modhvaniks in Gujarat, living across the state, especially in its northern and southern regions.

Other well known Modis

As mentioned above, there are Modis in UP and Bihar.

The surname is also widely used by Marwaris belonging to the Agrawal community from Agroha in Hisar, Haryana. This community subsequently spread to districts like Mahendragarh of Haryana, and Jhunjhunu and Sikar of Rajasthan.

The grandfather of former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, Rai Bahadur Gujar Mal Modi, moved from Mahendragarh to settle near Meerut, and the town was later renamed as Modinagar.

The fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi hails from Gujarat’s Jamnagar, from a community that has been traditionally engaged in the diamond trade.

The former chairman of Tata Steel Russi Mody, and the stage and film personality Sohrab Modi, were Parsis from Bombay (Mumbai).

The Modi surname and its caste came under intense discussion last year, when Rahul Gandhi was removed from Parliament after being slapped with a two-year sentence for defamation. Rahul, referring to fugitives Nirav and Lalit Modi, had rhetorically asked: “Why do all thieves have the surname Modi?”

This prompted Gujarat BJP MLA Purnesh Modi to file a defamation complaint against Rahul, claiming that he had “insulted 13 crore Modi surnamed people by calling them chor (thieves).”

This is an edited version of an explainer published on March 28, 2023.