New Delhi, 3 December (H.S.): Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the central government on Wednesday of lacking a solid plan for the proposed 2026-27 census, particularly on caste enumeration, claiming no parliamentary debate or public consultation despite state-level successes.

Sharing Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai's Lok Sabha written reply on X, Gandhi highlighted the absence of a clear framework, timeline, or intent to learn from other states' caste surveys, calling it an open betrayal of the nation's bahujans.

Rai outlined the census in two phases: house listing from April to September 2026 over 30 days per state, followed by population enumeration on March 1, 2027, with snow-bound areas like Ladakh, Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand covered by October 1, 2026.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar