New Delhi, Aug 25: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said he and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising concerns over the ongoing caste census process and demanding that the current open-ended questionnaire be scrapped and replaced with one based on a verified caste list, along the lines of the models adopted by Bihar and Telangana.

In a post on X, Kharge said that open-ended questions would not provide an accurate count of castes and could lead to the same caste being recorded under different names and sub-castes.

"Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha RahulGandhi and I have written a joint letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji expressing serious concern over the current process of caste census. It is not possible to accurately count castes through open-ended questions. If the same caste is recorded under different names and sub-castes, the data will be scattered, and the biggest loss will be to OBCs, most backward, and deprived communities," Kharge wrote.

He added, "Our demand is clear - the current questionnaire should be cancelled, a new questionnaire should be prepared based on a verified list of castes, and extensive consultation should be done with political parties, experts, and the public. Like the caste surveys in Telangana and Bihar, conducting the count based on a pre-prepared and verified caste list is a practical solution. The caste census should not only be done, it should also be done correctly."

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said the party wants the Centre to adopt the Bihar and Telangana model for the national census.

"The results of the caste survey in Bihar were published on October 2, 2023, and the results of the caste survey in Telangana were published on February 4, 2025. In this letter, Rahul ji and Kharge ji urge the Prime Minister to adopt the same methodology used in Bihar and Telangana for the upcoming national-level census--which has just commenced," Ramesh said while addressing a press conference.

He said there was still time for the Centre to make changes as the caste census had only begun in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and parts of Uttarakhand, while the nationwide exercise is scheduled for February 2027.

"There is still time for the Prime Minister to make corrections, as the caste census has currently only begun in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and parts of Uttarakhand; the nationwide exercise is scheduled for February 2027. Kharge ji and Rahul ji are demanding that the Prime Minister scrap the current plan and instead implement the methodology used in Bihar and Telangana at the national level. They urge him to consult experts and convene an all-party meeting. There is still time to make improvements over the next few months. A constructive suggestion has been put forward by Rahul ji and Kharge ji, and we hope the Prime Minister will not ignore this letter. Our demand is that the 2027 national census be conducted using the same methodology employed in Bihar and Telangana," Ramesh said.

On April 30 last year, the Centre announced to go ahead with caste enumeration in the 2027 population census. The Centre has stated that a comprehensive caste enumeration will be done during the Population Enumeration phase. Until the 2011 Census, the exercise included the systematic enumeration of only Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Earlier in April, Jairam Ramesh also shared Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to PM Modi offering suggestions on the caste census. Kharge urged the Centre to adopt the "Telangana Model" in conducting the caste-based census.

Expressing concerns, he wrote, "The Prime Minister owes the leadership of the Indian National Congress an apology for his accusation. More importantly, he owes the people of India an explanation of why he allowed his mind to be contaminated by 'urban naxal' thought when he announced a caste census on April 30, 2025." (ANI)