Communist Party of India (Marxist) shares demands on Census 2027

M.A. Baby commences by emphasizing that the census is not merely a statistical exercise; it influences the State's comprehension of the population and serves as the foundation for political representation, resource allocation, and planning. The importance of this specific Census is that it is being conducted after a sixteen-year hiatus and at a time when numerous other initiatives focused on political representation, electoral rights, and citizenship are currently in progress.

M.A. Baby suggests that this will be employed to advance the political agenda of the BJP, as the new Census is gathering information on both parents, including their religion and place of birth.

The collection of personal information is emphasized by M. A. Baby, as the questionnaire extends beyond the traditional Census information collection. It seeks Aadhaar, voter ID, passport and mobile-number details, as well as information on the number of bank accounts and other personal particulars.

While some of these questions are described as voluntary or qualified by “if available”, respondents will be compelled to part with these details when asked by a government official.

Another concern stated is data linkage. The potential for linking census information with other government databases becomes a significant concern when caste, religion, disability, migration, occupation, and family information are collected in addition to individual identifiers, as M.A. Baby has noted.

These issues are related to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to M.A. Baby. It is stated that SIR has already shifted the onus of proof onto citizens with extensive demands of documents and verification.

The constitutional freeze on the distribution of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats among States is in effect until the first census after 2026, which further highlights the timing of the census. M.A. Baby argues that the forthcoming delimitation exercise will be significantly more than a demographic exercise, as it will be based on the population generated by the next Census. It is stated that it will have consequences for the future distribution of political representation between States.

“The experience of States that have successfully pursued population stabilisation cannot be ignored. States must not be penalised politically for having successfully implemented population stabilisation policies. Nor can delimitation be undertaken without addressing its implications for federalism and the political balance between States.”

There are also serious concerns about the way the castes were listed. Since there wasn't a complete list or structured way to record the general caste question, there will be many entries for castes and sub-castes.

M.A. Baby states that the refusal to collect data in a structured manner using a scientifically prepared caste classification and coding system is intentional.

Additionally, the Census framework combined several disabilities and excluded others, which leads to inaccurate data on each individual disability. This has consequences for planning, budgetary allocations, schemes, and other areas in addition to undercounting.

The following the demands of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

1. An immediate all-party consultation on the Census methodology;

2. No personal details like religion of parents, their details, details of bank accounts, Aadhaar, and other ID numbers and all other such information – will be collected;

3. A scientifically designed and transparent caste classification and coding system;

4. Strict safeguards against linking Census data with electoral, Aadhaar, welfare or citizenship databases;

5. Protection against the use of Census information for citizenship determination or electoral exclusion;

6. A transparent public discussion on the implications of the Census for delimitation and federalism; and

7. Enumeration of all 21 disabilities recognised under the RPwD Act.