{
  "id": 1942899,
  "title": "Census 2027: Keralam Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan slams questionnaire seeking details of parents’ religion, place of birth",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/census-2027-keralam-opposition-leader-pinarayi-vijayan-slams",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T13:28:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/census-2027-keralam-opposition-leader-pinarayi-vijayan-slams-questionnaire-seeking-details-of-parents-religion-place-of-birth/article71364850.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kerala Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan has criticized the Census 2027 questionnaire for its inclusion of questions about the parents' religion and place of birth, accusing the Union government of attempting to incorporate the National Population Register (NPR) into the Census process. In a Facebook post, Vijayan expressed his disbelief at any policy that ties religion to citizenship. He pointed out that while the Census and NPR are separate, the Union government's 2018-19 report suggests a link between the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the NPR, with the NRC being prepared by filtering data from the NPR. Vijayan demanded that the Union government remove these \"sinister queries\" from the Census 2027 questionnaire. He reminded that the Kerala government had previously issued an order reaffirming that NPR would not be implemented in the state. Vijayan called on the secular community to resist the Sangh Parivar's efforts to target a particular section of society. He also noted the Union Democratic Front (UDF) government's silence on the matter, suggesting it was due to the Congress's past role in implementing the NPR.",
  "summary": "He says any policy that links religion with citizenship is unacceptable, adding that it is a matter of concern that the UDF government in Keralam is silent on the issue",
  "key_points": [
    "Pinarayi Vijayan criticizes Census 2027 questionnaire for religion and birthplace questions.",
    "Vijayan accuses Union government of attempting to incorporate NPR into Census process.",
    "He demands removal of sinister queries, urges secular community to resist Sangh Parivar's efforts."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu",
        "title": "DYFI leader among four held with drugs in Idukki in Keralam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/dyfi-leader-among-four-held-with-drugs-in-idukki-in-keralam",
        "published": "2026-08-19T15:47:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}