Congress Questions Census 2027 Questionnaire, Alleges ‘Nefarious Purpose’
Jairam Ramesh claims the inclusion of detailed questions on religion and parents' birthplace raises concerns over the design and purpose of Census 2027.
NEW DELHI, Aug 19: The Congress on Wednesday questioned the methodology being adopted for collecting caste related information in Census 2027, alleging that the exercise has been deliberately designed in a flawed manner and could have a “deeper nefarious purpose”.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh raised objections to the questionnaire, particularly the detailed information reportedly sought about religion, date of birth and place of birth of respondents’ parents.
Sharing a media report on X, Ramesh claimed that the questionnaire seeks the religion, date of birth and place of birth, including the village, of both the father and mother.
He argued that such detailed questions had not been part of previous census exercises.
“The methodology of asking questions on caste in Census 2027 is deliberately flawed,” Ramesh said, adding that the questions concerning religion, date of birth and parents’ place of birth were new.
He further questioned the purpose of collecting such information, saying the census is a confidential exercise and alleging that the 2027 enumeration could have a larger motive.
The Congress leader also objected to the options reportedly available to respondents for declaring their caste. According to the report cited by him, individuals may either enter their caste in an open field, select an option stating that they do not want to declare it, or indicate that they have no caste.
Congress questions absence of caste drop-down menu
The latest criticism follows the Opposition party’s earlier allegation that the Centre could undermine the caste enumeration process.
Ramesh had questioned why the Census 2027 questionnaire does not provide a drop-down menu for caste selection, despite the government referring to such a system in an affidavit submitted before the Supreme Court in 2021.
He recalled that on September 21, 2021, the Modi government had opposed a plea seeking a caste census in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court.
However, Ramesh pointed to a section of that affidavit which stated that a caste registry could have provided a drop-down menu for selecting castes and helped generate consistent data.
The Congress leader has now asked why the same approach has not been incorporated into the 2027 exercise.
Political dispute over caste enumeration
The issue has become a fresh point of confrontation between the Congress and the BJP-led government.
The Opposition party has previously accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of changing his position on caste enumeration after the government announced the inclusion of caste-related questions in the upcoming census.
Congress leaders have argued that a properly structured caste census is necessary to obtain reliable demographic information and formulate policies based on accurate data.
The government, meanwhile, has moved ahead with preparations for Census 2027, which will include caste enumeration for the first time in the regular decennial census since Independence.
The controversy over the questionnaire is likely to remain politically significant as the enumeration process approaches, with the Congress seeking greater clarity on how caste information will be collected, classified and subsequently used.
