Archive · 19 Aug 2026
Congress Challenges Census 2027 Caste Questionnaire Design
India is preparing a large count of its population called Census 2027.
The census will ask people about their caste.
The Congress party says the questions are designed badly and may have a hidden harmful purpose.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh especially objects that there is no list or drop-down menu for choosing a caste.
He says the government had described such a menu as useful in a 2021 court document.
The reported form instead has an open space where people can write their caste.
It may also let people say they do not want to give a caste or that they have no caste.
The form reportedly asks detailed questions about religion and the birth details of both parents.
The census will still count caste across communities, which has not been done in independent India before.
Congress alleged that Census 2027’s caste methodology is deliberately flawed and intended to sabotage the exercise.
Jairam Ramesh questioned why the census lacks a caste-selection drop-down menu recommended in a 2021 Supreme Court affidavit.
The questionnaire reportedly asks about religion and both parents’ dates and places of birth, including village-level details.
Respondents may reportedly enter a caste, choose “does not want to declare caste,” or select “no caste.”
Census 2027 will use an open-ended caste question for communities outside Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, marking the first such enumeration across communities in independent India.
- Who
- The Indian National Congress, particularly general secretary Jairam Ramesh, made the allegations against the Narendra Modi-led central government.
- What
- Congress criticized the Census 2027 caste questionnaire, alleging that its methodology is deliberately flawed and that the absence of a caste drop-down menu could undermine the census.
- When
- The reports describe statements made on August 18, 2026; the disputed affidavit was filed on September 21, 2021, and Narendra Modi announced a caste census on April 30, 2025.
- Where
- The controversy concerns India’s Census 2027 and references the Supreme Court of India, as well as earlier caste surveys in Bihar and Telangana.
- Why
- Congress says the questionnaire omits a standardized caste-selection menu that the Centre had described as desirable in its 2021 affidavit, while adding detailed questions it says had not previously been asked.
Congress’s allegations
Census questionnaire design described in reports
Drop-down menu versus open-ended response
Congress’s allegations
Congress argues that omitting a caste-selection drop-down menu, despite the Centre’s 2021 recommendation, could make the census less consistent and undermine its purpose.
Census questionnaire design described in reports
The described Census 2027 design uses an open-ended question for communities other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes rather than a reported standardized drop-down menu.
Purpose of the detailed questions
Congress’s allegations
Jairam Ramesh says the new questions on religion and the parents’ birth details have never been asked before and alleges that the census has a deeper “nefarious purpose.”
Census questionnaire design described in reports
The articles report that these questions are part of the questionnaire, but do not provide a government explanation of their purpose.
Whether the caste census is being carried out meaningfully
Congress’s allegations
Congress says the government has reversed its position again and is effectively burying or sabotaging the caste census.
Census questionnaire design described in reports
The reported Census 2027 design will nevertheless enumerate caste across communities for the first time in independent India.
- Accuser
- Indian National Congress
- Congress spokesperson
- Jairam Ramesh, general secretary in charge of communications
- Main allegation
- The Census 2027 caste methodology is deliberately flawed and may sabotage the caste census
- Questionnaire details
- The reported form asks about religion and the dates and places of birth of both parents, potentially down to the village level
- Caste response options
- The reported questionnaire includes an open-ended caste field, plus options for “does not want to declare caste” and “no caste”
- 2021 affidavit
- A September 21, 2021 Supreme Court affidavit said a caste registry with a drop-down menu would have produced more consistent data
- Census 2027 caste counting
- The census will ask about caste across communities, including an open-ended question beyond Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
- Historical comparison
- The last nationwide count of all caste groups cited in the reports was conducted in 1931
Sources
PM Modi a ‘U-turn ustad’, wants to sabotage caste census: Congress
Congress Accuses Modi Government Of Trying To Sabotage Caste Census
Congress claims Modi government wants to sabotage caste census, questions absence of drop-down menu