Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising concerns over the ongoing process of caste enumeration and demanding changes to the questionnaire being used to collect caste-related information.
The Congress leaders have objected particularly to the open-ended format, under which respondents can provide the name of their caste rather than selecting it from a verified list.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
Accuracy Could Matter More Than the Headline Number: A caste census can produce a huge database, but its usefulness ultimately depends on whether similar communities are consistently identified and classified.
One Name, Many Names — A Genuine Data Challenge: India's caste identities often have regional, linguistic and sub-caste variations. If these differences are not properly mapped, the same social group could appear as multiple entries in the final dataset.
The OBC Question Is Politically Sensitive: The eventual data could influence debates over representation, welfare and affirmative-action policies. That makes the methodology particularly important for OBC and other backward communities.
Bihar and Telangana Become the Reference Points: By specifically citing these two state exercises, Congress is not merely opposing the existing format; it is proposing a different methodology that it says has already been used at the state level.
The Debate Is Now About Data Design: The political argument is moving beyond whether caste enumeration should happen. The immediate question is how India's caste data should be collected so that the final numbers are credible and comparable.
Kharge said such a system could result in the same caste being recorded under different names, sub-castes or regional and linguistic variations. According to the Congress leaders, this could fragment a single community into multiple entries and make the resulting data difficult to use accurately.
They have therefore demanded that the existing questionnaire be scrapped and that a new format be prepared using a verified list of castes.
The Congress has suggested a list-based or drop-down approach, similar to the method used for recording Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, while arguing that existing government lists and relevant institutional data could be used to prepare such a system.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
A caste census is ultimately a data exercise with consequences far beyond statistics. If the classification system is weak, even a massive enumeration can produce disputed numbers. The government's biggest challenge will therefore be to create a methodology that is technically robust, transparent and capable of handling India's enormous diversity of caste names and identities.
The two leaders have also called for wider consultation with political parties, experts and the public before a revised questionnaire is finalised.
Congress has pointed to the caste surveys conducted in Bihar and Telangana as examples of list-based approaches that could be considered for the national exercise.
The issue is politically significant because the caste enumeration is expected to generate data that could influence discussions around social justice, education, employment, welfare programmes and representation.
Congress leaders have particularly warned that inaccurate classification could affect the assessment of the population and socio-economic position of OBCs and other backward and marginalised communities.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh has also argued that there is still time for the methodology to be changed before the nationwide exercise begins. He said the party wants the Centre to adopt the methodology used in Bihar and Telangana and hold an all-party consultation.
