Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change the proposed method of collecting caste information in the upcoming Census, saying the current system could lead to inaccurate data.
In a letter to Modi, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha respectively argued that reliable caste data is important for preparing social welfare and social justice policies.
Congress Objects To Open-Ended Caste Question
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have opposed the government’s plan to allow people to enter their caste names through an open-ended response.
“Your government has chosen the method of recording caste information in the census using open-ended questions, which is misleading,” they said in the letter.
The Congress leaders said the same caste can have different names, spellings and sub-categories in different regions. They warned that this could result in members of the same community being recorded under different names.
“This will result in millions of castes in the country, rendering the entire data obtained from the caste census useless,” the letter said.
According to the Congress leaders, such differences could affect the final estimates of the population of various caste groups.
Kharge, Rahul Suggest Fixed Caste List
The two leaders have suggested that the government prepare a standard list of castes and allow people to select their community from it instead of entering the name manually.
They said such a system could reduce differences caused by spelling, regional names and variations in caste classification.
The proposed list, according to the Congress leaders, could be prepared using existing government records, including the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes list and data available with the Anthropological Survey of India.
They also cited caste surveys conducted in Telangana and Bihar as examples of exercises that used fixed caste lists.
Congress Raises OBC Data Concern
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi also raised concerns about the collection of data related to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
They argued that the absence of the term “backward class” in the questionnaire could create difficulties in properly identifying and counting the OBC population.
The Congress leaders said inaccurate caste figures could affect government decisions on education, employment, welfare schemes and development programmes.
They urged the Centre to adopt a more structured system before the Census begins, arguing that accurate data would help the government understand the socio-economic condition of different communities and frame targeted policies.
