Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Friday expressed concern over the proposed methodology for caste enumeration in the 2027 Census, alleging that an open-ended system could fragment communities into multiple entries and undermine the exercise.

He said the Centre, after being "forced to accept" caste enumeration, should ensure the methodology produces accurate and scientifically usable data rather than rendering the exercise "meaningless".

"For me, the Caste Census is not an exercise in collecting statistics. It is an instrument of social justice," Parameshwara said in a statement.

The Congress leader said an open-ended system without a standardised and verified caste framework could result in the same community being recorded under different spellings, sub-caste names, regional identities and local names.

"The result could be thousands of separate entries representing the same community," he said, questioning how the true population of a community could be established if it is counted under multiple names.

Parameshwara said the Union government should develop a scientific framework for enumerating Other Backward Classes (OBCs), similar to the standardised lists maintained for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

He said the Centre and state governments already maintain lists of backward and socially and educationally backward communities and have decades of administrative experience in implementing reservation and welfare programmes.

"There is no reason why the Union Government cannot bring these lists together, develop standard caste codes and create a proper system for recording alternative names, sub-castes and regional identities. This is not technically impossible. It is a question of political will," he said.

He suggested that every community be assigned a standard identity and code for enumeration, while allowing people to report genuine local or alternative identities that could subsequently be mapped to the appropriate standard category.

The objective should be to "identify every community correctly, count every community accurately and use that data to deliver justice", he said.

Citing Karnataka's Social and Educational Survey as well as caste-based exercises undertaken in Bihar and Telangana, the senior leader said the Centre should learn from the experience of states.

"Karnataka is ready to share its experience and expertise with the Union Government," he said, urging the Centre to consult state governments, experts, political parties and community representatives before finalising the methodology.

Parameshwara said reliable caste data was necessary to formulate policies concerning reservation, education, employment, welfare, political representation and economic opportunities.

"We need data to understand who has access to opportunity and who continues to be excluded. We need data to understand the real extent of social and educational backwardness," he said.

He said the exercise was particularly important for "AHINDA communities" comprising minorities, backward classes and Dalits.

The deputy CM also accused the BJP-led central government of opposing caste-wise enumeration for years, while claiming that the Congress had consistently demanded an updated caste census.

He referred to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's slogan, "Jiski Jitni Sankhya Bhaari, Uski Utni Bhagidari", and said representation according to population had become a central principle in the debate on social justice.

Parameshwara urged the Centre to reconsider the open-ended methodology, prepare a standardised national caste list and coding framework in consultation with states, harmonise Central and state OBC/SEBC lists while protecting state-specific identities, and create a transparent mechanism to map alternative names, sub-castes and regional identities.

He also sought a mechanism to record and subsequently verify genuinely unlisted communities and called for consultations with states, political parties, social justice experts and community representatives.

"The people of India did not demand a caste census merely so that a caste question could be added to a questionnaire. They demanded it because India needs to know the truth about its social composition," he said.

The Union government must either conduct a genuine caste census or explain to the people why it is "afraid of counting the truth", Parameshwara said.

"India does not need a Caste Census merely for statistics. India needs caste data to build the next generation of social justice," he added.