Jaipur: Former state chief minister Ashok Gehlot Tuesday termed the Centre’s ongoing caste census process “completely flawed” and alleged that the methodology could defeat the very purpose of collecting caste-wise data. Gehlot questioned the use of open-ended questions to record caste identities, arguing that the same caste is known by different names, sub-castes and regional variations across the country. He said this could result in one caste being recorded under multiple names, making it difficult to consolidate the data and arrive at an accurate picture.He also questioned the absence of “Other Backward Classes (OBC)” from the exercise, saying this could make it difficult to determine the actual population of backward classes. Gehlot alleged that the confusion over the methodology was not accidental and appeared to be a deliberate strategy to prevent accurate caste-wise figures from emerging.The former CM’s remarks came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking changes in the questionnaire and calling for a predefined list of castes for the exercise. The Congress leaders cited Bihar caste survey of 2022 and Telangana caste survey of 2024, where caste lists were prepared in advance, as examples that could be followed.Gehlot said Centre should withdraw the existing methodology and hold consultations with political parties, experts and other stakeholders before preparing a fresh questionnaire.
