New Delhi: The Congress Monday said that the formulation of a question to be asked during the first phase of the census has cast doubt on the Centre’s announcement that caste would also be counted under the two-phase exercise starting on 1 April.
In a statement, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh demanded that the government initiate a dialogue with the political class and civil society to finalise the roadmap for the caste enumeration exercise to be carried out in the second phase of the census.
Ramesh said that Question 12, listed among the 33 subjects to be covered in the Houselisting and Housing Census, or Phase I, “as formulated, does raise serious questions about the Modi government’s true intentions and on its commitment to a comprehensive, fair, nationwide caste census”.
He pointed out that the question seeks information on whether the head of a household belongs to “Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/Other” categories, rather than explicitly asking about “OBC and General categories”.
“The Indian National Congress now calls upon the Modi government to immediately initiate a dialogue with political parties, state governments, and civil society organisations before finalising the details of the caste enumeration exercise,” Ramesh said.
He essentially suggested that if the caste status of household heads was to be ascertained in the first phase, then OBCs and forward castes as categories could also have been enumerated alongside SCs and STs.
The 33 questions to be posed during the first phase of the census were notified by the government on 22 January. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has also questioned the government’s commitment, raising a similar concern.
“There isn’t even a column for caste in the census notification. What will they count? A caste-based census is just another BJP gimmick. The BJP’s straightforward formula is: no counting, no demographic basis for proportional reservation or rights,” Yadav posted on X on 24 January.
The government had earlier announced that the next decadal census, being carried out after a delay of six years, would also capture caste data electronically during the population enumeration, or the second phase.
The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs on 30 April last year. However, the government has not yet announced the methodology to be used for carrying out the second phase.
The Congress also reiterated its demand that the Centre draw on the experience of its own government in Telangana, which conducted the 2025 Social, Educational, Economic, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) survey, while designing the framework for the decadal census.
“Such consultations were an integral part of the SEEEPC survey carried out by the Telangana government in 2025, which remains the most comprehensive and meaningful way to gather vital caste-wise information on education, employment, income, and political engagement, all of which are essential for ensuring greater economic and social justice,” Ramesh said.
(Edited by Varnika Dhawan)
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