'Long-delayed Census to be held soon, but will it include caste?': Congress seeks all-party meet for clarity

The government has extended the tenure of Mritunjay Kumar Narayan as Registrar General and Census Commissioner by 20 months, prompting the Congress to demand an all-party meeting to bring clarity on the inclusion of caste count and whether the exercise will be taken as the base for the delimitation of Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress reads the extension of Narayan’s tenure till August 4, 2026 as an indication of starting the Census “soon”, which was postponed indefinitely after the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The Opposition and experts had questioned the delay after the pandemic subsided, claiming that latest numbers are necessary for planning.

A gazette notification was issued on October 21 citing President Droupadi Murmu’s approval for the extension of tenure of Narayan, a 1995-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer. The central deputation of Narayan, who assumed the office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner on November 1, 2022, was to end on December 6 this year.

Congress said there is “still absolutely no clarity” on two “crucial” issues and it would be “most appropriate if an all-party meeting is held soon to get clarity” on them.

“Will this new Census include a detailed enumeration of all castes in the country, in addition to that of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes that has been done in every Census since 1951?” Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh asked citing that a Caste Census is the sole responsibility of the Union Government as per Constitution.

In a post on social media platform X, Ramesh also asked whether this exercise would be used for determining the strength of each state in the Lok Sabha, with Article 82 of the Constitution mandating that the first Census taken after 2026 should be the base for delimitation. If Census exercise starts soon, its publication is likely to happen only after 2026.

“Will this work to the disadvantage of states that have been pioneers in family planning?” he added. The southern states have raised concerns over losing Lok Sabha seats in a delimitation, as it has moved forward in controlling population compared to those in the north.