Congress Rejects Census Format, Calls it a Whitewash

NEW DELHI, August 25, 2026: The Congress has rejected the caste census format notified by the Union Home Ministry on August 14, calling it “deceit and betrayal” and accusing the government of undermining the exercise.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to adopt the methodology used by the Bihar and Telangana governments for caste enumeration across the country.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh said accurate caste census data was essential for implementing policies aimed at social justice.

Ramesh said Kharge and Gandhi wrote to the Prime Minister on August 20, stressing the need for a credible and comprehensive caste census. He said it was the third letter sent by the Congress on the issue, with two earlier letters from Kharge having received no response.

Describing caste enumeration as a sensitive issue linked to the future of the country, Ramesh said it was not merely a political matter but a constitutional one, as it was connected to the principle of social justice enshrined in the Constitution and the reservation system.

He alleged that the government had repeatedly changed its position on caste census. According to Ramesh, the government initially opposed the demand but later announced that caste enumeration would be undertaken, only to introduce a questionnaire that, he claimed, would undermine the exercise.

Ramesh said the Congress had repeatedly urged the government to consult political parties, state governments and subject-matter experts before finalising the methodology. “But sorry to say, the government has observed complete silence and nobody is talking,” he said.

Referring to the August 14 notification, Ramesh said the census questionnaire contains 40 questions, with caste-related information sought under question number 10. He argued that the open-ended format would make the exercise unreliable and claimed that the government had no genuine intention of conducting a meaningful caste census.

“The current format is self-sabotage and meaningless,” Ramesh said, arguing that it would not even provide a reliable estimate of India’s OBC population because the term “Backward Class” does not appear in the questionnaire.

He said a proper caste enumeration was necessary to determine the population and socio-economic conditions of different caste groups accurately.

The Congress has demanded that the methodology adopted by Bihar and Telangana be used nationwide. Ramesh said the census process had already begun in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Uttarakhand, while enumeration in the rest of the country is scheduled to begin in February 2027.

He said there was still time to amend the questionnaire and methodology to ensure that the 2027 Census, which is expected to include caste enumeration, produces meaningful data.

Ramesh also opposed the use of an open-ended question for caste identification, arguing that a “drop-down” or predefined list should be used instead. He said the Centre and state governments already maintain caste lists that could be incorporated into the questionnaire, making it easier for enumerators to record information consistently.

Referring to an affidavit filed by the Union Ministry of Education in the Supreme Court in 2021, Ramesh said the government had acknowledged that a list of castes would first have to be prepared if a caste census were conducted.

He urged the Prime Minister to intervene, consult Home Minister Amit Shah, convene an all-party meeting, engage with state governments and amend the questionnaire.

Ramesh also pointed to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who conducted a caste survey in Bihar and is now part of the BJP-led NDA, as an example of a state adopting the methodology sought by the Congress.

The Congress, he said, would not accept the caste census in its current form, describing it as “not a census, but a whitewash”.

AICC OBC Department chairman Anil JaiHind was also present at the press conference.