Patna: Union minister Giriraj Singh yesterday expressed alarm over the "population explosion" in the country since Independence and favoured disenfranchisement of those who sired more than two children. The BJP leader from Bihar, known for making controversial remarks, shared a graphic on his official Twitter handle on World Population Day which showed that India's population grew by a staggering 366 % between 1947 and 2019 as against only 113 % rise in sparsely populated US. Singh, the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, wrote in Hindi--"In India, population explosion is disturbing the balance of economy, social harmony and resources. One of the reasons (for failure to check it) is dhaarmik vyavadhan (religious obstacles)," apparently hinting at Muslims.
Several leaders of the Hindu right have often blamed Muslims for the spurt in country's population. Striking an alarmist note, the cabinet minister warned: "India appears to be heading like in 1947 towards another a 'saanskritik vibhajan' (partition in the name of culture). All political parties will have to come forward for a birth control law."
Later, he told some news channels in Delhi that strong measures must be in place to check population explosion. "I hold the view that those who have more than two children should be stripped of their voting rights. And this provision must be applicable to all communities. No exemption should be made for any religious group just because it insists that its tenets disapprove of birth control measures, he said.
The BJP leader's views met with disapproval from the opposition RJD-Congress combine in the state.
Bihar RJD president Ram Chandra Purbe termed Singhs comments an example of ochhi rajneeti (petty politics) since it appeared to blame the minorities for the ballooning population.