Kharge, Gandhi urge Modi to cancel caste census questionnaire
Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have written to Prime Minister Modi requesting the current caste census questionnaire be scrapped and redesigned after broad consultations. They argue the current open-ended format risks data fragmentation and call for a dropdown approach, citing Telangana and Bih
Key takeaways
- Kharge and Gandhi penned a joint letter to Prime Minister Modi calling for scrapping the current caste census questionnaire.
- The proposed redesign emphasizes a dropdown list of castes to avoid fragmentation and improve data reliability.
- The letter cites Telangana (2024) and Bihar (2022) caste surveys as reference methods and attaches their caste lists.
- As of reporting, the government had not publicly responded to the letter.
What Happened
Rajya Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress president-in-waiting Rahul Gandhi wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 20, urging the Centre to scrap the existing caste census questionnaire. They asked that a new questionnaire be prepared after extensive consultations with political parties, experts and the general public. The letter was discussed at a press conference led by Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh, who described the government’s caste census effort as a "whitewash" and noted the letter was the third sent on the issue without a reply.
The lawmakers criticized the current methodology for caste enumeration, arguing that it uses an open-ended question format. They contend that the response would simply record whatever name a person gives for their caste, which could lead to fragmentation if the same caste appears under thousands of distinct names. They warned this would distort the dataset and hinder the accurate measurement of the size and socio-economic status of different communities.
As a practical alternative, Kharge and Gandhi proposed a dropdown list of castes for enumeration—similar to how Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are recorded. They suggested compiling such a list from existing records on socially and educationally backward classes and data from the Anthropological Survey of India, a method they say was used in the Telangana and Bihar caste surveys. They also attached caste lists from the Telangana Caste Survey (2024) and the Bihar Caste Survey (2022) to their letter.
According to the Congress leaders, accurate caste data are essential for measuring social justice policies and designing welfare schemes. They argued that if castes are recorded under different names across regions, the resulting dataset could fail to reveal the true size of the Other Backward Classes population and undermine policy targeting.
The Indian Express notes the government has not publicly responded to this letter. The article frames the issue as an ongoing dispute between the opposition and the government over how caste data should be collected in the census.
Why It Matters
The protesters claim that precise caste data are necessary to implement social justice policies and to assess the needs and status of various communities. They warn that a misrecorded or fragmented caste count could distort the allocation of educational and welfare resources and hinder the measurement of OBC populations, with potential implications for policy design and anti-poverty programs.
Background
The dispute centers on how caste information should be collected in India's caste census. The opposition argues that the current open-ended question risks inconsistent naming across regions, which could fragment a single caste into multiple names and undermine data reliability. Telangana and Bihar have previously used more structured methods for caste enumeration, which the Congress cites as a model for reforms. The Congress has issued multiple letters on the issue, with the most recent letter dated August 20 and no public response reported in the article.
Key Facts
- Leaders: Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi (Congress) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Date of letter: August 20 (reported by The Indian Express).
- Request: Scrap the current caste census questionnaire and redesign it after broad consultations.
- Critique: Current method uses an open-ended caste question, which could record names as provided by individuals and cause fragmentation of caste categories.
- Proposed solution: Introduce a dropdown list of castes for enumeration, modeled after SC/ST enumeration.
- Data sources cited: Telangana Caste Survey (2024) and Bihar Caste Survey (2022).
- Context: Opposition describes the government’s caste census efforts as a whitewash; no public response has been reported to the letter.
What Happens Next
The article notes there has been no public reply from the government to the letter as of its reporting. The Congress calls for consultation with political parties, experts and the public before redesigning the questionnaire, but no formal next steps are documented in the source.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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