Congress Flags Caste Gaps in Question 12 of Census 2027

 New Delhi: Amid preparations for Census 2027, the Congress on Monday flagged the wording of Question No. 12 in the Houselisting and Housing Census Schedule. It alleged that the Modi government’s newly notified houselisting questionnaire casts doubt on its commitment to conducting a comprehensive and transparent caste census.

The party demanded that the Centre hold consultations with political parties, state governments and civil society organisations before finalising the framework for caste data collection.

Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the question for Census scheduled to be conducted between April and September 2026 seeks to identify whether the head of the household belongs to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe or “Other” category, without explicitly mentioning Other Backward Classes or the general category. “This raises serious questions about the government’s true intentions and its commitment to a fair, nationwide caste census,” Ramesh said.

Last week, the Centre notified 33 questions for the houselisting phase of Census 2027, covering housing conditions, household amenities, ownership status and basic demographic details. The ₹11,718-crore exercise will be India’s first fully digital census and will be carried out by around 30 lakh enumerators using mobile applications.

Recalling the government’s past position, Ramesh said the Modi government had repeatedly opposed a caste census, including in its reply to a Lok Sabha question on July 20, 2021, and in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on September 21, 2021. He alleged that the Centre made a “complete U-turn” on April 30, 2025, when it announced that caste enumeration would be part of Census 2027.

He also referred to remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2024, when he criticised proponents of a caste census by terming them as having an “urban naxal mindset”.

The Congress urged the Centre to initiate an immediate dialogue with stakeholders, citing the Telangana government’s 2025 SEEEPC survey as a model. Ramesh said the survey involved extensive consultations and gathered detailed caste-wise data on education, employment, income and political participation, which are essential for advancing social and economic justice.