CPI(M) urges President to block Census Rule changes citing privacy concerns

The CPI(M) has formally sought presidential intervention against amendments to the Census Rules, citing threats to data impartiality and confidentiality. Party leader M.A. Baby has questioned whether the expanded pool of enumerators under the revised framework can maintain the integrity and secrecy protocols essential to Census operations.

The party's concerns centre on the potential misuse of Census data for purposes beyond statistical compilation. Baby warned that the amendments could enable authorities to leverage Census information for surveillance purposes or to make determinations regarding citizenship status—functions that fall outside the legitimate scope of decennial Census exercises.

The CPI(M) has contended that enlarging the enumerator base without corresponding safeguards undermines constitutional guarantees of privacy and data protection. The party has argued that the traditional confidentiality framework governing Census operations must remain inviolable to ensure public cooperation and accurate data collection.

The presidential appeal represents an escalation of the left party's campaign against the amendments, which have already drawn criticism from opposition quarters and civil society groups concerned with data governance and individual privacy rights in India's digital age.