Congress spreads lies over caste census, gets fact checked by PIB: Is Rahul Gandhi’s party getting frustrated after their favourite political issue was snatched away
The chagrin of losing its main political issue—caste census—to its bête noire BJP, has deeply affected the Congress party’s collective sensibility. Congress, especially the party prince Rahul Gandhi, placed high bets on the caste census issue in the recent past, hoping that positioning himself as the messiah of the SCs, STs and OBCs would garner him their support, however, their main political plank disappeared before their eyes as the NDA government announced that caste census will take place along with the 2027 census.
Frustrated with this, the Congress party has started peddling falsehoods about caste enumeration in the impending Census 2027.
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, on Monday, June 16, said that complete “absence” of the term caste census census in the government’s gazette notification issued for the 16th Census has raised questions over the mindset of the BJP on this subject. Shrinate recalled that the government had earlier promised that a caste census will be conducted by them.
“Census is a decadal exercise and it has been delayed which is why people are not able to get the benefits of government schemes. This is a routine notification. There is no mention of the caste census here, a promise that the government said would be fulfilled on April 30,” Shrinate said.
Asserting that BJP has always opposed the idea of caste-based reservations, Shrinate pointed out that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have forced the government to conduct a caste census.
“BJP should be the last one talking about the SC/ST and OBC as they have historically been against the constitution… Pt. Nehru brought the first amendment to the constitution about reservation, but it was opposed by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee… RSS Chiefs opposed the reservations… This government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court in September 2021 saying we are against the Caste Census,” she said.
Before Supriya Shrinate, Congress General Secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over “no mention” of caste census in the gazette notification for the population census by the Ministry of Home Affairs, asking, “Has the Prime Minister changed his mind?”
“Today’s gazette notification says only census will be done in late October of 2026 in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal and the rest of the country it will be done in March 2027. It does not talk of the word caste census. So, my question is, has the Prime Minister changed his mind again? Why is there no mention of the caste census?” Jairam Ramesh said.
Similarly, Congress leader Pawan Khera also claimed that Census 2027 will not include caste enumeration and wrote on X, “If it is still spelled c-a-s-t-e, it is not in today’s MHA Gazette notification on census.
In another post, Khera lamented that the ‘caste’ was not mentioned in the gazette notification for Census 2027. He compared the notification issued by Congress government in Telangana with BJP-led Central government’s notification.
“Exhibit 1 – Telangana announced caste census, mentioning the word caste thrice. Exhibit 2 – Government of India announces census (supposed to be caste census) without mentioning the word caste even once,” Khera posted.
As Congress leader are insinuating that the Modi government is backtracking from its caste census promise, it is pertinent to find out if the Centre has indeed reneged from its promise or the Congress party is peddling lies for political traction.
Has Modi government taken a U-turn on caste census? What does the gazette notification on Census 2027 say
Contrary to the claims made by Congress leaders and their supporters on social media, the Central government has already announced that the Caste enumeration will be conducted along with Census 2027.
In a press release dated 15th June 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed about preparations underway to conduct Census 2027. The press release mentioned that the census will be conducted in two phases alongside caste enumeration.
“The Census will be conducted in two phases. In phase one i.e. Houselisting Operation (HLO), the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household will be collected. Subsequently, in second phase i.e. Population Enumeration (PE), the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person in each household will be collected. In Census, Caste enumeration will also be done,” the press release reads.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also announced on 15th June, that Census 2027 will also include caste enumeration as promised earlier.
“The census will include caste enumeration for the first time. As many as 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh census functionaries will conduct the operation with cutting-edge mobile digital gadgets,” Minister Shah said in an X post.
Just because the term “caste enumeration” is not mentioned in the gazette notification, it does not mean that caste survey will not be conducted. If Congress leaders carefully looked at the notification, it does not make any mention of the two phases under the census will be conducted. Does that mean the census will not be conducted in those two phases? No.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Census Act, 1948 (37 of 1948), and in supersession of the notification of the Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs (Office of the Registrar General, India) number S.O. 1455(E), dated the 26th March, 2019 published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, section 3, sub-section (ii), dated the 28th March, 2019, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Central Government hereby declares that a census of the population of India shall be taken during the year 2027,” the gazette notification issued by the Central government reads.
“The reference date for the said census shall be 00.00 hours of the 1st day of March, 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In respect of the Union territory of Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the reference date shall be 00:00 hours of the 1st day of October, 2026,” the notification adds.
However, desperate after losing the only card that got the Congress party some traction, its leaders are trying hard to project the Central government, which in just one stroke snatched away Congress’s last hope of reviving caste-based politics, as anti-SC/ST/OBC.
It must be recalled how the Congress prince Rahul Gandhi, for months, had been harping about conducting caste census to incite SC, ST and OBC Hindus.
Besides promising a caste census, the party had also assured to lift the upper limit on reservation in its 2024 election manifesto. Rahul Gandhi himself was campaigning with the slogan ‘Jitni aabadi utna haq,‘ hinting at proportional representation in government jobs, admission to colleges and more. However, the world has seen how ‘jitni aabadi utna haq’ turned out to be disastrous for countries like Lebanon.
Congress’s frustration, however, is understandable as after continuous electoral failures, Rahul Gandhi found that one issue that could have propelled him at least closer to his ‘Prime Minister’ dream. But, as the BJP effectively co-opted the caste census issue, the party and its prince are making desperate attempts to retain whatever political leverage they can.
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