RSS underlines need for policy for population control, strict implementation of existing laws to prevent religious conversion

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, October 19

Taking forward the narrative set by sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat in his Vijayadashmi address, the RSS on Wednesday again underlined the need to evolve a policy for population control in the country and strict implementation of existing laws to prevent religious conversion in the country.

“Desh main sab par lagu hone wali jansankhya niti bane (there should be a population policy applicable to all in the country),” sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale said briefing mediapersons at the end of the four-day meeting of the Akhil Bhartiya Karyakari Mandal in Prayagraj.

The senior RSS leader said that population was a matter of concern especially in view of limited resources in the country. “Everyone needs to introspect on it and implement a policy for population control. There is a need to create awareness and awakening on the issue… what kind of education and healthcare would be provided to the people if the population continues to grow?” he said.

Asserting that population imbalance on a religious basis had led to the division of many nations, Hosabale also said religious conversion and migration from Bangladesh are causing “population imbalance” and called for strict implementation of anti-conversion laws.

Sangh is trying to create awareness on conversions, he said adding that as a result there has been a favourable outcome of “Ghar Wapsi”.

“India also faced a division because of this. Religion-based population balance was an important subject that could no longer be ignored,” he said.

Hosabale also claimed that after conversion, infiltration was the second biggest cause of “population imbalance”.

“Population imbalance caused by infiltration from Bangladesh has been seen in districts of north Bihar, including Purnia and Katihar, and in other states,” he said.

The Sangh meeting also took stock of the expansion of the organisational work and held brainstorming sessions on women empowerment, minority outreach and the use of mother tongue in education. “We plan to have a ‘shakha’ in every division in the country by 2024. We have already achieved 99 percent of the target. There are‘shakhas’ in Kerala too,” he said.

The BJP’s ideological fountainhead will complete 100 years in 2025.

In his Vijayadashami speech that is considered the guiding principle for ‘swayamsewaks’, Bhagwat spoke extensively on population control, women empowerment, social harmony and promotion of education in mother tongue. Stating that religion-based population balance can no longer be ignored, Bhagwat said after 75 years of Independence, India needs a population control policy applicable to all for the next 50 years to make population an ‘asset’ to the country.

“Population control and religion-based population balance is an important subject that can no longer be ignored,” he had said.

Notably, RSS in the past had also passed resolutions on population control policy, urging the government to work on effective laws on conversion, NRC, and check on infiltration.