'Withdraw existing questionnaire': Kharge, Rahul write to PM over caste census issue

New Delhi: Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over concerns about the caste census. The two Congress party leaders urged the government to reconsider the method of collecting caste information and requested the withdrawal of the existing questionnaire, deeming it misleading.

Kharge and Rahul emphasized the need for accurate caste data to effectively implement social justice policies in India. They questioned the use of an open-ended question to record caste details, as it could lead to the division of a single caste into thousands of names due to different names, sub-castes, or local names across India.

The congress leaders warned that inaccurate data from the caste census could negatively impact backward, extremely backward and other disadvantaged communities. This could affect government decisions on education, employment, welfare schemes, and social justice.

Rahul and Kharge also pointed out the lack of clarity regarding the size of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) population in India. They argued that the term "backward class" is not included in the census process, making it difficult to determine the exact size of this population.

Another Congress leader, Jairam Ramesh, echoed the concerns of Kharge and Rahul, criticizing the BJP-led Centre's efforts towards a caste census as merely superficial. Ramesh stated that the government's current approach towards the caste census is nothing more than a "whitewash."