“It is clear this is a Rozgar Guarantee Yojana for thousands of RSS/BJP workers,” Ramesh said.
In a post on X, the Congress leader alleged that the amendments to the Census Rules, 1990, followed a recent RSS meeting held from July 10 to July 12, 2026, in Belgaum. He claimed that the organisation had conducted a major training camp for its cadres with Census 2027 as its single-point agenda.
“The Modi Govt has now expanded the list of eligible enumerators for Census 2027. There is much mischief behind it. During July 10-12, 2026, the RSS held a big training camp in Belgaum for its cadres on the single-point agenda of Census 2027,” Ramesh said.
He also referred to the High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes, established by the Union Home Ministry on May 26, 2026. According to Ramesh, the committee had invited inputs from the public, including Indian and foreign organisations, on demographic changes in the country.
Questioning the committee's composition, he alleged that its members' affiliations with the RSS ecosystem were the only aspect that made it “high level”.
“The High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes set up by the Union Home Ministry on May 26, 2026 has just asked for inputs from the public, including Indian and foreign organisations, on demographic changes in the country. The only thing high level of this committee is the affiliation of its members to the RSS ecosystem. So we know where these inputs will come from,” he said.
Ramesh further alleged that the amendments would undermine the integrity of the 2027 Census. Drawing a comparison with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), he claimed that the census exercise could also be manipulated.
“This will most certainly further contaminate an already subverted Census. Another institution is being destroyed. Like SIR, the Census will also be dangerously doctored. There are no limits to the diabolical designs of the PM-HM duo,” Ramesh added.
The Congress leader's remarks came a day after the Central government amended the Census Rules, 1990, on October 16, expanding the categories of people eligible to serve as enumerators for Census 2027.
Under the amended rules, teachers from government and private educational institutions, government officials, clerks and other eligible personnel can be assigned enumerator duties.
The notification specifies that teachers working in educational institutions run by the government, local authorities, aided or unaided private bodies, societies or trusts are eligible to perform these duties.
The revised rules also cover clerks and other officials employed by the Central government, state governments, local authorities and establishments. These establishments include public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, banks, companies, institutions, societies and trusts.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified the Census (Amendment) Rules, 2026, under the powers conferred by Section 18(1) of the Census Act, 1948.
The amendments also empower state governments and Union Territory administrations to consider any other suitable person for appointment as an enumerator.
The principal Census Rules were originally published in the Gazette of India on December 31, 1990. They have subsequently been amended through notifications issued in 1994, 2009, 2018 and 2022.
The expanded eligibility criteria for Census 2027 enumerators have drawn political criticism from Ramesh, who has alleged that the changes could compromise the census process. His remarks place the government's latest amendments at the centre of a political dispute over the conduct and credibility of the upcoming national census.
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