The Congress on Wednesday stepped up its criticism of the Centre over the methodology proposed for collecting caste data in Census 2027, alleging that the process has been “deliberately flawed” and raising questions over the purpose behind the detailed questions being asked.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that the Census 2027 questionnaire includes several “micro questions” about religion, date of birth and place of birth of a respondent’s parents. He said such details had not been sought in earlier censuses.
Jairam Ramesh Questions Caste Census Methodology
Ramesh shared a media report on X claiming that respondents would be asked to provide details about the religion, date of birth and place of birth, including the village, of both their father and mother.
He also raised concerns about how caste information would be collected. According to the report cited by Ramesh, respondents may be given an open field to enter their caste, along with options such as “does not want to declare caste” and “no caste.”
“The methodology of asking questions on caste in Census 2027 is deliberately flawed,” Ramesh said.
He added, “The micro questions on religion, date of birth, place of birth of parents have never been asked before.”
Ramesh also questioned the purpose of collecting such information, saying, “The census is confidential. Clearly Census 27 has a deeper nefarious purpose.”
Congress Questions Absence of Caste Drop-Down Menu
The latest criticism came a day after the Congress accused the Centre of attempting to undermine the caste census by not providing a standardised drop-down menu for caste selection in the Census 2027 questionnaire.
Ramesh referred to an affidavit filed by the Centre in the Supreme Court in September 2021. According to him, the government had then stated that there had been no caste registry before the 2011 Census and had acknowledged that a registry with a drop-down menu could be useful for producing consistent and reliable caste data.
Ramesh questioned why the mechanism discussed by the government in its own affidavit was not being used for Census 2027.
Congress Accuses Modi Government of ‘U-Turn’
The Congress has repeatedly attacked the government over its handling of caste enumeration.
The party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of making a “complete U-turn” after announcing a caste census on April 30, 2025. It has now alleged that the government is making another reversal in the way caste data will be collected.
The controversy has added to the political debate surrounding Census 2027, particularly over how caste identities will be recorded, classified and converted into reliable demographic data.
For the Congress, the absence of a standardised mechanism for recording caste is a major concern. Ramesh has argued that the Centre itself had recognised the usefulness of such a system in its 2021 Supreme Court affidavit.
The government has yet to respond specifically to Ramesh’s latest allegations regarding the Census 2027 questionnaire.
