Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to immediately conduct the population census that had been scheduled for 2021, and make a caste census an integral part of that nationwide exercise.

Rahul Gandhi had on Sunday dared Modi to publish the 2011 caste census data, tell the nation about the breakup of OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis and give proportional representation to the oppressed classes in government jobs.

Kharge, following up on Rahul’s comments, wrote to the Prime Minister: “I am writing to you once again to place on record the demand of the Indian National Congress for an up-to-date caste census.”

He added: “My colleagues and I have raised this demand earlier in both Houses of Parliament on a number of occasions as have leaders of many other Opposition parties. You are aware that for the first time the UPA government conducted a Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) during 2011-12 covering some 25 crore households.”

Kharge said the caste data could not be published for a number of reasons and underlined that MPs from the Congress and several other parties had demanded its release after the Modi government came to power in May 2014.

“In the absence of an updated caste census, I am afraid a reliable database, so very essential for meaningful social justice and empowerment programmes, particularly for OBCs, is incomplete. This census is the responsibility of the Union government,” he wrote.

“I would also like to point out that the regular decennial census was to be carried out in 2021 but it has not yet been conducted. We demand that it be done immediately and that a comprehensive caste census be made its integral part.”

While Kharge avoided any political rhetoric, party communications chief Jairam Ramesh tweeted “Jitni aabadi, utna haq”, calling for reservations proportional to beneficiary groups’ share of the population.

The demand for proportional reservation, also made by Rahul, could shake up the polity as implementing it would likely mean raising the total quota volume beyond 50 per cent — anathema for the upper caste voters who form the backbone of the BJP’s support base.

The RSS-BJP has been saying that the time has come to review the reservation system, with the tenor of the discourse favouring the abolition or reduction of the quotas.

Briefing the media on behalf of the Congress later on Monday, Kanhiya Kumar defended the party stand. He said the issue had been discussed at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir and Raipur plenary.

He said that every caste was now a beneficiary of reservation with the Supreme Court allowing a 10 per cent economic quota, recognising the need to support the poor among the upper castes.

Asked whether the Congress was resorting to caste politics to counter the BJP’s religion-based politics, Kanhaiya said: “Both caste and religion are used by the BJP for politics. Modi says, ‘I am from the OBCs’. We are worried how to make the Indian nation-state stronger.”

He added: “Data is necessary in today’s world. Policymaking and affirmative action need some basis, and the caste census data should therefore be made public.”

The Congress is now in sync with those Opposition parties whose politics is built on the demand for social justice.