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Congress leaders urge PM Modi to scrap caste census questionnaire, call for standardised format
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi wrote to PM Modi, calling the census caste enumeration method 'misleading' and demanding a new questionnaire with a drop-down list. The BJP dismissed the criticism as 'panic', while allegations of deliberate omission of OBCs deepen the political row.
By Tertius News AI Desk6 distinct · 6 mastheads · 8 articlesVersion 5Coverage Published
Congress leaders demand fresh approach to caste census
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the methodology proposed for caste enumeration in the upcoming Census and demanding that the current questionnaire be scrapped.
The letter, written in Hindi on August 20, describes the government's open-ended format for recording caste details as "misleading," arguing that enumerators will record whatever name a respondent provides without a prescribed list or standardised options. The Congress leaders say this approach could produce serious inconsistencies because the same caste may be known by different names, spellings, sub-castes or regional variations across the country, potentially fragmenting a single caste into thousands of entries and rendering the data useless.
Kharge wrote on X that he and Gandhi had expressed "serious concern" over the process, and that it is not possible to accurately count castes through open-ended questions. "If the same caste is recorded under different names and sub-castes, the data will be scattered, and the biggest loss will be to OBCs, most backward, and deprived communities," he said.
OBC omission at the centre of the dispute
The Congress leaders underlined that the word "OBC" has not been used in the Census questionnaire, which was notified on August 14. They argued that inaccurate caste figures could affect government policy on education, employment, welfare schemes and social justice programmes.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the exercise as a "whitewash" and accused the government of "sabotaging" the caste census. He said this was the third letter written by the Congress leadership on the issue and that previous ones had gone unanswered. Congress MP KC Venugopal has also criticised the format, saying the census is "set up to fail" and reflecting the BJP's "insincerity towards social justice."
Congress OBC department chairperson Anil Jaihind said the failure to include a separate column for OBCs in the tenth question violates the principles of social justice and prevents a true population count. He asserted that a "Manuvadi" system is operating in reality and that the government is adopting a process that paves the way for excluding OBCs from official statistics.
Congress leader Subhashini Sharad Yadav said the census must accurately identify castes, as their nature varies across different regions of the country.
Proposed solutions and precedents
The letter suggests replacing the open-ended format with a "drop-down menu" comprising a list of castes, similar to the method used for SCs and STs. Hindu leaders said such a list could be compiled from existing government records, including Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Anthropological Survey of India data. They referenced the caste surveys conducted in Bihar and Telangana as examples, and enclosed copies of the caste lists used in those surveys.
The 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census also used an open-ended question, a model that critics say produced faulty data and emerged of lakhs of entries.
The government's decision to count caste in the next census was announced in April 2025, after years of resistance. Some activists and sociologists have questioned the methodology further.
Sociologist Satish Deshpande called the open-ended question a "planned failure,"" saying spelling variations could create tens of thousands of entries across the country. Activist Yogendra Yadav said the design showed a lack of political will and was "designed to fail." Others, like Raju A. Jaihind, gave examples such as carpenter castes in Haryana varying Kat, Suthar, Bhandari, Tarkhan, and Vans to illustrate the problem.
Congress MP Praveen Chakravarty said artificial intelligence could help clean up data, identifying that 'Rajput' and 'Rejput' refer to the same caste.
BJP and state leaders counter allegations
The BJP has dismissed the opposition's criticisms. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Kumar said the Congress never conducted a caste census during its decades in power, and its reaction stems from "panic and consternation." UP Minister Sunil Sharma criticised Rahul Gandhi for raising procedural objections while not disclosing his own caste, and UP Cabinet Minister Omprakash Rajbhar dismissed the claims as political rhetoric ahead of state elections.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, however, backed the Congress position, calling the process "completely flawed" and alleging the confusion was not accidental but appeared to be a deliberate strategy to prevent accurate figures. He reiterated the demand for a predefined list of castes, citing concurrent civil military surveys in Bihar and Telangana.
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Framing: Emphasizes a political showdown, with Congress demanding revision and BJP citing 'panic' in opposition ranks. — The tone is neutral, presenting both sides without overt bias, though it includes quoted accusations.
Facts Included:
Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking withdrawal of the current caste census questionnaire.
The questionnaire was notified on August 14.
The Opposition flagged that the questionnaire uses open-ended caste entries instead of a pre-compiled list, which it says will distort data.
The BJP dismissed the charge as opposition 'panic'.
Kharge wrote on X that 'the biggest loss will be to OBCs, most backward, and deprived communities' if open-ended questions are used.
The Congress demanded a pre-verified drop-down list of castes, similar to state-level methodologies in Bihar and Telangana.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh termed the exercise a 'deception' and noted the form contains only one caste-related question among 40 questions.
Congress MP KC Venugopal wrote on X that the current questionnaire 'does not even have the word 'backward' or 'OBC' for the enumerators to select'.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister stated that the Congress never conducted a caste census during its decades in power and that its current reaction stems from 'panic and consternation'.
UP Minister Sunil Sharma criticized Rahul Gandhi for not disclosing his own caste.
Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar dismissed opposition claims as political rhetoric and predicted the Yogi Adityanath government would be formed again in 2027.
Bihar and Telangana previously conducted state-level caste and socio-economic surveys using structured methodologies with pre-defined lists of recognized castes.
Framing: The headline frames the Congress leaders' letter as a demand to scrap a 'misleading' questionnaire, emphasizing confrontation with the PM. — The tone is neutral and factual, reporting the Congress's criticism without evident bias.
Facts Included:
Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the methodology proposed for caste enumeration in the upcoming Census.
The Congress leaders described the government’s open-ended format for recording caste details as “misleading” and warned that it could result in fragmented and unreliable data.
Under the proposed methodology, enumerators would record the caste name exactly as provided by respondents, without a prescribed list or standardised options.
The Congress leaders argued that the approach could create serious inconsistencies because the same caste may be known by different names, spellings, sub-castes or regional variations across the country.
The Congress has argued that such variations could result in the same community being recorded under multiple entries, making the final data difficult to consolidate and analyse.
The Congress has raised particular concerns over the impact of the methodology on the enumeration of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), most backward communities and other socially disadvantaged groups.
The leaders reportedly pointed out that the questionnaire does not explicitly include the term “Backward Class”, raising concerns over how the overall OBC population would be accurately identified and counted.
Kharge and Gandhi argued that inaccurate caste figures could have wider implications for government policy, including education, employment, welfare schemes and social justice programmes.
The Congress leaders also drew a comparison with difficulties associated with the 2011 Socio-Economic and Caste Census, where variations in caste names and classifications reportedly complicated the process of consolidating the data.
The Congress leaders have called for the existing questionnaire to be scrapped and replaced with a fresh format prepared after consultations with political parties, experts and the public.
They have proposed creating a verified drop-down list of castes based on existing government lists, including those relating to Socially and Educationally Backward Classes, along with inputs from institutions such as the Anthropological Survey of India.
The Congress has also pointed to caste surveys conducted in Bihar and Telangana as possible models for standardised enumeration, according to Deccan Herald.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also criticised the government’s approach, describing the current exercise as a “whitewash” while briefing the media on the issue, The Hindu reported.
The latest intervention comes amid an ongoing political debate over the collection and use of caste data, with the Congress maintaining that the enumeration must produce standardised, verifiable and policy-relevant figures.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the Congress leaders' demand to scrap the existing caste census questionnaire and seek wider consultations, focusing on their request to Prime Minister Modi. — The tone is neutral and descriptive, reporting the Congress leaders' statements and arguments without overt editorializing.
Facts Included:
Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The letter asks the Centre to scrap the existing questionnaire for the caste census and prepare a new one after wider consultations
Kharge and Gandhi said the current method could produce misleading caste data
They rejected the methodology proposed for caste enumeration, particularly the use of an open-ended question to record a person's caste
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh addressed a press conference on the letter
Ramesh described the government's efforts towards a caste census as a 'whitewash'
This was the third letter written by the Congress leadership to the Prime Minister on the issue
Kharge and Gandhi argued that social justice policies cannot be effectively implemented without accurate data
They said a precise assessment of the numerical strength and socio-economic status of different castes would be possible only through proper caste enumeration
The leaders enclosed copies of caste lists from the Telangana Caste Survey of 2024 and the Bihar Caste Survey of 2022 with their letter
Kharge and Gandhi said: 'We do not accept the caste census being conducted in the current manner. The government should scrap the existing questionnaire and formulate a new one after consulting political parties, experts, and the general public'
Framing: The headline frames the Modi government's actions as potentially sabotaging the caste census. — The tone is critical of the Modi government's approach, framing it as a deliberate undermining of the census.
Facts Included:
In April 2025, the Modi government made a dramatic U-turn and announced that it would count caste in India’s next census.
The Modi government has disclosed that it will follow the same method for counting caste that was used by Manmohan Singh’s administration.
The census will include an open-ended caste question, where enumerators ask respondents whether they belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe and then ask them to state their caste.
The 2011 census also had an open-ended caste question, which reportedly threw up an astounding 46 lakh entries.
Sociologist Satish Deshpande called this a 'planned failure' and suggested a drop-down list of caste names as an alternative.
Activist-politician Yogendra Yadav contended that the design of the census was a clear sign that the Modi government lacked the 'political will' to count caste.
The Mandal Commission in 1980 estimated that the Other Backward Classes made up 52% of India’s population.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has promised to remove the Supreme Court’s 50% cap on reservations if voted to power.
Sushil Gautam, an Ambedkarite activist, alleged that the BJP was never sincere about conducting a caste census.
The state of Bihar had carried out a caste survey, which established that the Other Backward Classes accounted for over 63% of its population.
Dharmaendra Kushwah, a lawyer and OBC Mahasabha member, said the Modi government had 'betrayed' the Other Backward Classes.
Praveen Chakravarty, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress, argued that artificial intelligence could help analyze open-ended caste data.
On August 20, members of the OBC Mahasabha burnt an effigy of Home Minister Amit Shah in Gwalior.
Framing: Congress calls omission of OBC from caste census 'deep conspiracy' by Modi govt
Facts Included:
The Congress has accused the Modi government of deliberately omitting the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category from the caste census as part of a deep conspiracy.
The party’s OBC department head Anil Jaihind on Monday said the failure to include a separate column for OBCs in the census questionnaire violates the principles of social justice.
Jaihind said that instead of conducting the caste census scientifically and transparently, the government is adopting a process that paves the way for excluding OBCs from official statistics.
A ‘Manuvadi’ (caste-hierarchical) system is operating in reality, he told reporters.
Citing the notification issued on August 14, Jaihind pointed out the absence of a column to list the OBC category in the 10th question of the questionnaire.
Congress leader Subhashini Sharad Yadav said the census must accurately identify castes, as the nature and manifestation of castes vary across different regions of the country.
Framing: Emphasizes Gehlot's criticism of the caste census process as flawed and questions the Centre's methodology. — Critical of the Centre's methodology, reflecting Gehlot's allegations without neutral counterpoints.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the opposition leaders' direct challenge to the PM over the caste census methodology.
Facts Included:
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi wrote to PM Modi over the caste census.
They termed the methodology for caste count in Census 2027 'misleading'.
They demanded the Census questionnaire on caste be abandoned and a new one drafted.
They said the word 'OBC' has not been used in the Census.
They argued that a caste is known by different names and sub-castes depending on the region.
They suggested a 'drop down menu' of castes be added to the questionnaire.
They cited that this methodology is used for counting SCs and STs and was adopted in Bihar and Telangana surveys.
They said a list of castes can be compiled from existing government lists like Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Anthropological Survey of India.
They referenced a government affidavit to the Supreme Court in Sept 2021 regarding a 'drop down menu'.
Ramesh accused the government of 'sabotaging' the caste census.
Former state chief minister Ashok Gehlot Tuesday termed the Centre’s ongoing caste census process “completely flawed”.
Gehlot questioned the use of open-ended questions to record caste identities.
Gehlot said this could result in one caste being recorded under multiple names.
Gehlot alleged that the absence of “Other Backward Classes (OBC)” from the exercise could make it difficult to determine the actual population of backward classes.
Gehlot alleged that the confusion over the methodology was not accidental and appeared to be a deliberate strategy to prevent accurate caste-wise figures from emerging.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking changes in the questionnaire and calling for a predefined list of castes.
The Congress leaders cited Bihar caste survey of 2022 and Telangana caste survey of 2024 as examples that could be followed.
Gehlot said Centre should withdraw the existing methodology and hold consultations with political parties, experts and other stakeholders.
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Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi wrote a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi opposing the methodology for caste enumeration in the upcoming Census.
ClaimThe government's open-ended format for recording caste details in the census questionnaire was described as 'misleading' in the letter from Kharge and Gandhi.
ClaimUnder the proposed methodology, enumerators would record caste names exactly as provided by respondents, without a prescribed list or standardised options.
ClaimThe same caste may be known by different names, spellings, sub-castes or regional variations, which could cause inconsistencies and fragment the data.
ClaimKharge and Gandhi argued that inaccurate caste figures could affect government policy on education, employment, welfare schemes and social justice programmes.
ClaimCongress called for scrapping the existing questionnaire and preparing a fresh format after consultations with political parties, experts and the public.
ClaimCongress proposed a verified drop-down list of castes based on existing government lists, including Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and inputs from the Anthropological Survey of India.
ClaimAnil Jaihind, chairperson of Congress's OBC department, said the failure to include a separate column for OBCs violates principles of social justice and prevents true OBC population figures from being recorded.
ClaimJairam Ramesh said this was the third letter written by Congress leadership to the Prime Minister on this issue and claimed previous letters had gone unanswered.
ClaimAn open-ended system could fragment a single caste into thousands of entries, leading to hundreds of thousands of caste names and making the dataset ineffective.
ClaimGeneral secretary Jairam Ramesh and MP KC Venugopal criticised the process as a 'deception' and noted that the form omits explicit options or terms for backward classes.
ClaimKC Venugopal wrote on X that an open-ended question on caste means the Caste Census is set up to fail, and alleged that the approach reflects BJP's 'insincerity towards social justice'.
ClaimUttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Maurya said the Congress never conducted a caste census during its decades in power and its current reaction stems from 'panic and consternation'.
ClaimBihar and Telangana have undertaken state-level caste surveys using structured methodologies with pre-defined lists and standardised coding systems.
ClaimSociologist Satish Deshpande called the open-ended caste question a 'planned failure' and said spelling variations will create tens of thousands of entries.
ClaimAnil Jaihind used the example of carpenter castes in Haryana to illustrate variations, naming Badhai, Jangid, Jangda, Khati, Dhiman, Suthar, Tarkhan, Ramgarhia and Vishwakarma.
ClaimDharmendra Kushwah, a Gwalior-based lawyer and core committee member of the OBC Mahasabha, said the Modi government had 'betrayed' the OBCs and that the community is 'asleep'.
ClaimJairam Ramesh and Anil Jaihind said the government had in a Sept 2021 affidavit to the Supreme Court submitted that a drop-down menu would have to be used for a caste census.
ClaimFormer Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot termed the caste census process 'completely flawed' and alleged that the methodology could defeat the very purpose of collecting caste-wise data.
ClaimGehlot alleged that the confusion over the methodology was not accidental and appeared to be a deliberate strategy to prevent accurate caste-wise figures.
6 distinct · 6 mastheads · 8 articles consulted: ANI (Asian News International), Free Press Journal, The New Indian Express, scroll.in, ThePrint, The Times of India49 claims extractedVersion 5Written 2026-08-25