‘Deeply troubling’: Pinarayi Vijayan asks why Census has questions on parents’ religion, birthplace

Keralam Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said it was “deeply troubling” that the Census 2027 exercise reportedly asks respondents about their religion and the place of birth of both parents.

Criticising the Union government, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader said that the Census must not “become a backdoor” for the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens.

The National Population Register is a list of all the usual residents of India. The National Register of Citizens is an exercise to create a list of Indian citizens and to identify undocumented immigrants.

Critics fear that the NRC, when used in conjunction with the Citizenship Amendment Act, will allow the government to force many Muslims to prove their citizenship. The government and its supporters have sought to insist that the CAA and the NRC are not linked.

Vijayan said on Wednesday in a social media post that citizenship could not be tied to religion, and that the Census should not be used to divide people. “The Union Government must immediately drop such divisive questions,” he demanded. “Secular forces must stand united against this dangerous move.”

The reported inclusion of questions about parents’ place of birth and religion in the upcoming Census is deeply troubling. The Census must not become a backdoor...

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