IndiaPosted at: Oct 19 2026 8:34PM


CPI(M) chief M A Baby warns Census changes could open backdoor for Sangh Parivar, seeks withdrawal

New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the union Home Ministry’s amendments to the Census Rules, alleging that the changes could facilitate the entry of Sangh Parivar affiliates into the enumeration process and expose citizens’ sensitive personal information to potential misuse.
Warning that the Census must not become another instrument for determining citizenship or excluding voters, he called for an all-party consultation on the methodology and safeguards governing the nationwide exercise.
In a post on the social media platform X on Monday, Baby said the amendments were “not as innocuous as they might seem at first glance”.
He expressed particular concern over the expanded eligibility criteria for census enumerators, which permit the engagement of private school teachers, members of “institutions, societies and trusts”, and individuals considered “suitable” by the concerned state government or union Territory administration.
“This is a means of ensuring backdoor entry to the Sangh Parivar to access the private data of Indian citizens,” Baby alleged, questioning the neutrality of personnel entrusted with collecting sensitive information from households across the country.
The CPI(M) general secretary said he had submitted a memorandum to the Registrar General and Census Commissioner on August 24 on behalf of his party, seeking changes to the proposed questionnaire for the second phase of the Census.
The memorandum called for excluding personal details such as Aadhaar numbers, voter identity card numbers, passport details, mobile numbers, bank account information, religion and the birthplace of parents from the information collected.
Baby also demanded stringent safeguards to ensure that Census data could not be linked to other databases, arguing that the collection of personal information beyond what was necessary for enumeration could create avenues for its misuse.
He maintained that the exercise must remain confined to its legitimate demographic and administrative objectives rather than become a means of gathering information for purposes unrelated to the Census.
“Deploying Sangh Parivar agents to collect individual details that do not serve the Census purpose will weaponise the Census exercise for citizenship determination and electoral exclusion,” he alleged.
Linking his objections to the nationwide controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Baby accused the Narendra Modi government of disregarding public concerns and constitutional principles by proceeding with the amendments amid widespread opposition to the voter-list revision exercise.
“The fact that the Modi government is going ahead with this in the midst of a nationwide upheaval against the SIR process shows its blatant disregard for public sentiment and constitutional norms,” he said.
The objections come amid a wider political debate over the collection, confidentiality and potential use of citizens’ personal information in government-led exercises. While the Census is intended to provide demographic and socio-economic data for policymaking, planning and public administration, questions over the scope of information collected and the safeguards governing access to it have become a subject of political scrutiny.
The SIR exercise has separately drawn allegations from opposition parties that electoral-roll revisions could result in eligible voters being deleted or excluded. The Election Commission has defended the need for electoral-roll verification, while opposition parties have demanded greater transparency and safeguards to prevent disenfranchisement. The dispute has emerged as a major flashpoint between the ruling establishment and the Opposition.
Baby warned that broadening the pool of eligible enumerators without adequate safeguards could undermine public confidence in the Census and raise serious questions about the confidentiality of information collected from citizens.
He insisted that the government must address these concerns through consultation rather than proceed with changes that, in his view, risk compromising the credibility of a crucial national exercise.
“This cannot be allowed,” he said, reiterating his demand for the withdrawal of the notified amendments and an immediate all-party consultation on the Census methodology.
“The Census must not become the next SIR in the hands of Modi-Amit Shah-Mohan Bhagwat,” Baby said, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union Home Minister Amit Shah and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat over what he alleged was an attempt to compromise the neutrality of the exercise.
At the heart of the dispute is the question of whether the expanded eligibility criteria and proposed collection of personal information can be accompanied by sufficient safeguards to preserve the Census’s confidentiality, credibility and public purpose.
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