Why Jairam Ramesh Wants Telangana’s Caste Survey Model for the 2027 Census

HYDERABAD: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change the caste enumeration method for the 2027 national census. The Congress leaders want the Centre to follow the Bihar and Telangana models. Bihar released its caste survey results on October 2, 2023. Telangana released [...]<strong>HYDERABAD:</strong> Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change the caste enumeration method for the 2027 national census. The Congress leaders want the Centre to follow the Bihar and <a href="https://x.com/ANI/status/2092153329183015130?s=20">Telangana</a> models. Bihar released its caste survey results on October 2, 2023. Telangana released its results on February 4, 2025. <h3>Congress seeks change in caste census method</h3> Ramesh said the government still has time to change the census methodology. "The results of the caste survey in Bihar were published on October 2, 2023, and the results of the caste survey in Telangana were published on February 4, 2025," Ramesh said. Meanwhile, the Census of India has set March 1, 2027, as the reference date for most of the country. The government will use October 1, 2026, for Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Ramesh said the Centre can still improve the process in the coming months. <h3>Rahul Gandhi, Kharge seek all-party consultation</h3> Ramesh said Rahul Gandhi and Kharge also asked Modi to consult experts and political parties. They want these consultations before the government finalises the census methodology. "There is still time to make improvements over the next few months. A constructive suggestion has been put forward by Rahul ji and Kharge ji, and we hope the Prime Minister will not ignore this letter," he said. In addition, the Congress leaders want the Centre to withdraw the existing questionnaire. They have proposed a new questionnaire after consultations with political parties and experts. Therefore, the Congress wants the Centre to use the Bihar and Telangana models for caste enumeration in the 2027 national census.