Full Breakdown
Congress Accuses Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Politicising Census 2027
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Allegations
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Centre’s amendment to the Census Rules is a “Rozgar Guarantee Yojana” for RSS and BJP workers and warned that it could “contaminate an already subverted Census.” He linked the change to an RSS training camp held in Belgaum from July 10 to 12, 2026 and to a high-level committee on demographic changes whose members, he said, are affiliated with the RSS ecosystem.
Legislative Change
On October 16 the Ministry of Home Affairs notified new Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026 under Section 18(1) of the Census Act, 1948. The amendment expands the pool of eligible enumerators to include teachers from government, aided and unaided private institutions, as well as clerks and officials of central, state and local governments, public-sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, companies, societies and trusts. The principal Census Rules were originally published on December 31, 1990 and have been amended in 1994, 2009, 2018 and 2022.
Context of RSS Involvement
The high-level Committee on Demographic Changes was constituted by the Union Home Ministry on May 26, 2026 and invited public inputs—including from Indian and foreign organisations—on October 14. Ramesh asserted that the committee’s “only high-level aspect” is its RSS affiliation, implying that the inputs will be steered by the organisation.
Official Response & Reactions
The notification was issued by Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, specifying the expanded categories of enumerators. Legal challenges to the deployment of private-school staff have led the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Allahabad High Court to grant interim relief in related cases. Separately, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) called for accessible and inclusive enumeration in Census 2027, urging clear information, self-enumeration facilities and sensitisation of officials.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The Modi govt has now expanded the list of eligible enumerators for Census 2027. There is much mischief behind it,” — Jairam Ramesh, congress general secretary
- “It is clear this is a Rozgar Guarantee Yojana for thousands of RSS/BJP workers,” — Ramesh. In
- “This will most certainly further contaminate an already subverted Census. Another institution is being destroyed. Like SIR, the Census will also be dangerously doctored. There are no limits to the diabolical designs of the PM-HM duo,” — Ramesh. The Congress