Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary M.A.
Baby has urged President Droupadi Murmu to intervene and ask the Union government to withdraw amendments to the Census Rules that allow hiring of private individuals as census enumerators, warning that such a tweak in rules could lead to “arbitrary and politically motivated appointments”.
In a letter to the President, Mr. The discretion granted to State Governments and Union Territory administrations, without clearly specified criteria or publicly accountable safeguards, creates considerable scope for arbitrary and politically motivated appointments. Mr. Baby also expressed concern over the information sought in the Census questionnaire, including religion of parents, bank account details, Aadhaar and other identification documents, passport details and mobile numbers.
Baby said, “It raises serious questions about the criteria for selection, the impartiality of those appointed, and the safeguards against partisan interference. “In the given political atmosphere, the fear that the information they provide will be used to profile them politically, target particular communities, question their citizenship or exclude them from their legitimate rights and entitlements is genuine,” Mr. Baby said. He said the Census must not become another SIR and be turned into “an instrument of surveillance, citizenship determination or electoral exclusion”.
Baby urged the President, as the constitutional head of the Republic, to intervene and call upon the Union government to withdraw the amendments and ensure that the exercise was conducted in accordance with constitutional principles and public trust.
Calling the Census a national exercise that “belongs to the people of India”, Mr.
