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Kharge and Rahul Gandhi Urge Modi to Scrap Caste Census Questionnaire
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi Urge Modi to Scrap Caste Census Questionnaire
New Delhi | 25 Aug 2026
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to withdraw the existing caste census questionnaire, warning that its proposed format could produce fragmented and inaccurate data.
In a joint letter dated 20 August and made public on Tuesday, the leaders called for a revised questionnaire based on a standardised caste list prepared after consultations with political parties, experts and the public.
Table of Contents
- Why Congress Opposes the Caste Census Questionnaire
- Leaders Propose a Standardised Caste List
- Census 2027 Questionnaire and Timeline
- Government Response Awaited
Why Congress Opposes the Caste Census Questionnaire
Kharge and Gandhi said the government had chosen an open-ended format under which the caste name provided by each respondent would be recorded. They argued that this method could classify members of the same community under multiple names, sub-castes, spellings and linguistic variations.
Data Quality Concerns
Kharge and Gandhi’s Objection
“Your government has opted for an open-ended question format to record caste details in the census, which is misleading.”
— Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, in their joint letter to the prime minister
The Congress leaders said variations in caste names could divide one community across thousands of entries, preventing an accurate assessment of its population and socio-economic position.
They maintained that unreliable data could affect decisions concerning education, employment, welfare programmes and social justice policies. They also argued that the absence of the term “Backward Class” from the notified questions could prevent the exercise from establishing the total Other Backward Classes population.
Leaders Propose a Standardised Caste List
Kharge and Gandhi proposed using a standardised drop-down list of castes instead of allowing unrestricted entries. They said a comparable system was already used to enumerate Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Proposal Based on Government Lists
The leaders said the proposed list could be compiled from existing official records, including government lists of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and information maintained by the Anthropological Survey of India.
They cited the caste surveys conducted in Telangana and Bihar as practical examples. Copies of the caste lists used for the Telangana Caste Survey 2024 and Bihar Caste Survey 2022 were enclosed with their letter.
The letter asked the government to consult political parties, specialists and members of the public before finalising a replacement questionnaire intended to produce comparable data across states and regions.
Census 2027 Questionnaire and Timeline
The Registrar General of India notified 40 questions for the Population Enumeration phase of Census 2027 on 14 August. The schedule includes separate entries concerning Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe status and caste identity, alongside questions on demographic, educational, economic, migration and disability-related information.
The Union government decided on 30 April 2025 to include comprehensive caste enumeration in Census 2027. The exercise will be India’s first national census since Independence to enumerate castes beyond the continuing collection of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe data.
Population enumeration in Ladakh and designated snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand is scheduled from 1 to 30 September 2026, with 1 October 2026 as the reference date. The reference date for the rest of India is 1 March 2027.
Government Response Awaited
Congress Position
Jairam Ramesh
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: The communication was the third letter sent by the Congress leadership to the prime minister on caste enumeration. He said earlier letters sent in 2023 and on 5 May 2025 had not received replies.
No response from the Union government to the latest letter had been announced at the time of publication. The notified questionnaire therefore remains in place ahead of the Population Enumeration exercise in the designated snow-bound regions.
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