Congress questions Census 2027's 'deeper' motive over caste queries

The Congress alleged on Wednesday, Aug 18th that the methodology for asking questions on caste in Census 2027 is "deliberately flawed" and that the census has a "deeper nefarious purpose."

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, claimed that micro-questions on religion, date of birth, and the birthplace of parents had never been asked in a census before.

Ramesh shared a media report on X claiming that Census 2027 seeks information on religion, date of birth and place of birth, down to village level, for both parents. The report said the questionnaire would, alongside an open field to declare caste, allow respondents to select "does not want to declare caste" or "no caste."

"The methodology of asking Qs on caste in Census 2027 is deliberately flawed. The micro Qs on religion, date of birth, place of birth of parents have never been asked before," Ramesh said in his post. "The census is confidential. Clearly Census 27 has a deeper nefarious purpose."

On Tuesday, the Congress had alleged that the Modi government wanted to "sabotage" the caste census, questioning why Census 2027 lacks a drop-down menu for selecting castes — a mechanism the Centre itself had recommended in an affidavit to the Supreme Court in September 2021.

The party said the prime minister made a "complete U-turn" on April 30, 2025, by announcing a caste census, only to now perform "a U-turn on his earlier U-turn."

Ramesh pointed to the government's September 21, 2021, Supreme Court affidavit, which had rejected a plea for a caste census but, in paragraph 12(d), stated: "There was no registry of caste prepared prior to the conduct of the 2011 Census. It would have been ideal for the Registry of Castes that there should have been given a drop-down menu for selection of the castes, which could have made some consistent data available which can be relied upon."

He asked why Census 2027 does not include this drop-down menu, noting that similar structured menus were used in the Bihar and Telangana caste surveys, and that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had made the same suggestion in a May 5, 2025, letter to the prime minister.