New Delhi, Aug 26:
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have written jointly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concerns over the proposed format for collecting caste data in the Census.
The Congress leaders warned that an open-ended system allowing respondents to freely write the name of their caste could result in the same caste being recorded under multiple names, spellings or sub-groups, affecting the accuracy and usefulness of the data.
They urged the government to adopt a structured format with a drop-down list of castes to ensure uniformity in data collection.
Kharge and Rahul Gandhi said a standardised system would help prevent duplication and classification errors and ensure that the exercise produces reliable data for policymaking.
The issue assumes significance amid renewed political debate over the collection and use of caste-based data in the national Census.