Kharge made three key suggestions in his letter:1. Questionnaire design based on Telangana modelThe census should collect caste data not merely for counting, but for driving inclusive socio-economic development. He cited the Telangana caste survey as an ideal example in terms of methodology and transparency.2. Transparency and publication of dataThe final report must be made fully public, ensuring that socio-economic data for each caste is available. This will help measure progress and enforce rights guaranteed by the Constitution.3. Removal of 50 per cent cap on reservationsKharge argued that the 50 per cent ceiling on reservations is arbitrary and must be removed through a constitutional amendment. He also called for inclusion of other states’ reservation laws in the Ninth Schedule, similar to Tamil Nadu’s.He stressed the importance of implementing Article 15(5), which provides for reservations in private educational institutions.Though passed in 2006 and upheld by the Supreme Court in January 2014, this article remains unimplemented. A Parliamentary Standing Committee report from March 2025 has also recommended new legislation to enforce it.The Congress and other opposition parties have been consistently pushing for a nationwide caste census, which has become a major political issue ahead of the elections. States like Bihar, Telangana, and Karnataka have already undertaken such surveys.Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh shared Kharge’s letter on social media platform X, noting that it followed the May 2nd Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.“Kharge ji has made three very specific suggestions,” Ramesh wrote, adding that the PM’s recent shift on the caste census appeared “sudden and desperate,” even as the nation grieves the terror attacks in Pahalgam.
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