3 kinds of lies…: Asaduddin Owaisi questions Census timing, its credibility

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday sharpened his attack on the Centre over the proposed 2027 Census exercise, questioning its timing and credibility while citing the famous remark: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics".

In a post on X, Owaisi said Census data is critical for delimitation, development schemes and food security, but alleged that the Union government was "putting the integrity of census at risk" to avoid embarrassment.

"Census data is essential for delimitation, development schemes and food security. The Modi govt is putting the integrity of census at risk just so that it’s not embarrassed," Owaisi said.

Furthermore, the Hyderabad MP also pointed to the National Family Health Survey, claiming it has stopped collecting information on issues such as open defecation and the use of cooking fuel. "The latest National Family Health Survey has also dropped collecting information on open defecation, use of cooking fuel among other things," he wrote.

Owaisi's remarks came at a time when India is preparing to roll out its long-delayed decennial Census exercise.

India will count its population by March 1, 2027, in a census to be held after an unprecedented 16-year gap, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had announced last year. This will be the country's first digital census, and the first in independent India to include an enumeration of castes as well.

The Census process has been initiated with a self-enumeration facility, allowing citizens to submit their details digitally. The Houselisting and Housing Census is also underway as part of the preparatory phase. The full-scale population enumeration, covering over 1.4 billion people, will mark one of the world's largest peacetime administrative exercises involving nearly three million personnel.

The Census, originally scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last nationwide Census was conducted in 2011, making this exercise the first major headcount in over a decade.

Meanwhile, officials have emphasised that the Census is far more than a population count. It is designed to provide a detailed socio-economic snapshot of the country, capturing indicators such as age, sex, religion, caste, language, literacy, occupation and living conditions. The data is collected at highly granular levels, including villages and urban wards, enabling mapping of inequality and demographic change.

The Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, has urged citizens to provide accurate information, stressing that individual data will remain confidential and will not be used as evidence or for availing benefits under any government scheme.

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