Modi wants caste census to fail: Congress flags open-ended questions in current exercise

The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the use of open-ended questions instead of a drop-down list in the ongoing caste census was a “very serious flaw”, claiming the format could lead to different names, sub-castes and spellings being recorded for the same caste.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh alleged that the format could undermine the caste census process and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to want the exercise to “fail”.

“A caste census is not just about counting castes, but about ensuring social justice. Right kind of questions → Right data → Right share → Social justice,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

Ramesh said the Congress had repeatedly raised objections to the format and had demanded that the questionnaire be changed.

He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Modi on August 20, raising concerns over the ongoing process and demanding that the questionnaire be scrapped and replaced.

According to Ramesh, the Congress has received no response to the letter.

The party has proposed that the caste count be conducted using a pre-prepared and certified list of castes, similar to the approach adopted in caste surveys in Telangana and Bihar, Ramesh said.

The Congress has also sought consultations with political parties, experts and the public while preparing a new questionnaire, he said.

Ramesh said the party had held 17 press conferences across the country over the past four days to reiterate its demand for what it described as a properly conducted caste census.

(With inputs from PTI)