NEW DELHI: Union minister Giriraj Singh courted controversy on Sunday when he contended that “social harmony gets fractured wherever Hindu population drops”, a veiled attack on the phenomenon of rising Muslim populace in the country.
“UN said if this (population growth) isn’t brought under check, in future, 1 out of 10 people won’t have access to potable water. So it’s dangerous both to social harmony and development. Social harmony gets fractured wherever Hindu population drops,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
Over the last few days, the BJP leader has been appealing to the youth to raise awareness about India’s growing population with the following tweet: “Increasing population is taking away your livelihood and peace. Increasing population is taking away your share of development and social harmony.”
सभी युवाओं से अपील है की वो बढ़ती जनसंख्या के ख़िलाफ़ आवाज़ उठाने का शपथ ले और समाज को जागरूक करे।
बढ़ती जनसंख्या आपके रोज़गार और शांति को छीन रहा है।
बढ़ती जनसंख्या आपके हिस्से का विकास और आपका अमन चैन छीन रहा है।Data:2/3/ feb-18 pic.twitter.com/pzGImt5klB
— Giriraj Singh (@girirajsinghbjp) February 4, 2018
When asked about this tweet by mediapersons, Giriraj quoted data to underscore the population explosion that the country is witnessing, which has sparked concerns about the long-term sustainability of resources.
“I’ve been posting on social media everyday. Rise in population is the biggest hindrance to development. In China 11 children are born every minute and in India number is 29. 18 per cent of world’s population is in India,” he told ANI.
I’ve been posting on social media everyday. Rise in population is the biggest hindrance to development. In China 11 children are born every minute & in India number is 29. 18% of world’s population is in India: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on his tweet on population (03.02.2018) pic.twitter.com/v87NP7MKL9
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2018
Thus, the booming population is a threat to not only development but also to social harmony, he claimed.
While nowhere does Singh mention the ‘M word’ in his tweet or bytes, it can still be construed as an attack on the Muslim community, given his chequered past. Back in January, he had dispensed with being politically correct to openly proclaim the Muslim population as a threat to the country.
In November 2017, he’d stirred the communal pot over the Ram Temple dispute+ when he’d remarked that Muslims living in India are children of Ram and not Babar.
Singh’s views found resonance with Rajasthan BJP leader Banwari Lal Singhal, who alleged that Muslims were bearing more children with an aim to outnumber Hindus and to take control of the country by 2030.
“The way the Muslim population is increasing, the existence of Hindus is in danger. It is a well-planned conspiracy to have a Muslim in the chair of president, prime minister and chief ministers,” Singhal told PTI last month.
