{
  "id": 3218259,
  "title": "'Withdraw existing questionnaire': Kharge, Rahul write to PM over caste census issue",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/withdraw-existing-questionnaire-kharge-rahul-write-to-pm-over-caste",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T07:44:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/withdraw-existing-questionnaire-kharge-rahul-gandhi-write-to-pm-modi-over-caste-census-issue/articleshow/133499132.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nKharge 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nRahul 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.\n\nAnother 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.\"",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi wrote to PM Modi over caste census concerns.",
    "Urged withdrawal of existing questionnaire, deeming it misleading due to potential caste division.",
    "Warned inaccurate data could negatively impact disadvantaged communities and government policies."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}