India needs population control law: Union Minister Giriraj Singh stokes another controversy

He predicted that social harmony would suffer if laws to control reproduction are not introduced.

File photo

AMROHA, UTTAR PRADESH: Union Minister Giriraj Singh has said India needs a law to control population growth. He said the population of Hindus in 54 districts of the country has fallen and said if population control measures are not put in place it would pose a threat to social harmony and impede progress.

Giriraj Singh's controversial remarks came in Uttar Pradesh's Amroha, hours after he used population figures to tweet that India would face another partition in 2047 if population control in not put in place.

"The population of the country in 1947 was 33 crore. Today, the declared population is 125 crore and the undeclared population is 136 to 141 crore. The population level of Hindus has fallen in 54 districts across the country. There will be no social harmony if population control laws are not passed. Neither will there be progress," Singh said in Amroha, reported news agency ANI.

Earlier in the day on Sunday, Singh had tweeted a prediction that India would face partition again by 2047. "The country was divided in 1947 on the basis of religion. A similar situation will happen in 2047. In 72 years, the population has gone up from 33 crore to 135.7 crore. The population explosion of divisive forces is dreadful. At present there is uproar over discussion on 35A. It will become impossible to even mention about Bharat in the times to come," his tweet read.

1947 में धर्म के आधार पर ही देश का विभाजन हुआ वैसी ही परिस्थिति पुनः2047 तक होगी।
72 साल में जनसंख्या 33cr से बढ़कर 135.7cr हो गया है।
विभाजनकारी ताक़तों का जनसंख्या विस्फोट भयावह है ।
अभी तो 35A के बहस पर हंगामा हो रहा है।आने वाले वक़्त में तो एक भारत का ज़िक्र करना असंभव होगा। pic.twitter.com/5RbWk3nEws

— Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) September 16, 2018

He may not have outright identified a particular community with what he termed "the population explosion of divisive forces". But the sustained manner in which he has been referring to population figures leaves little to the imagination when seen with the obsession of a part of Singh's political faction over the apparent fall in the percentage of Hindus in parts of the country.

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj, for instance, had in January 2015 invited censure from his party for calling on Hindu women to have at least four children each to "protect the Hindu religion".

In a recent interview to Zee Hindustan, the Union minister had said that increasing population was a big issue in India. Singh had also called for a debate from streets to Parliament over increasing population. He had also demanded a debate on "definition of minorities".

"Increasing population is a big issue in India. There should be a debate from sadak (road) to sansad (Parliament) on population control in the country. There should also be a debate on the definition of minorities. If a strong law is not made on population control then the country will suffer. We need to raise our voice," the BJP leader had said.