Congress Demands Withdrawal of Caste Census Questionnaire

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding the withdrawal of the current caste census questionnaire, arguing its open-ended format is misleading and will produce inaccurate data. In a letter dated August 20, 2026, the senior Congress leaders urged the government to scrap the existing process and formulate a new questionnaire after consulting political parties, experts, and the public. The central criticism, detailed in the letter and reiterated at a party briefing, is that the current method allows individuals to self-report their caste name without a standardized list.