In the wake of several Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states pushing for a population control strategy, prominent Congress politician Shashi Tharoor claimed on Saturday that the BJP’s motivation for raising the matter is political and directed at a ‘particular community.’
The population argument is ‘utterly misplaced’ and half-a-century old, according to the former Union minister, because the vast majority of Indian states have reached replacement fertility levels.
Tharoor told PTI that the greater issue for India in the next 20 years would be to prepare for an elderly population rather than a burgeoning population. He claimed that the ruling party is bringing up this matter because of a ‘thinly-concealed motivation’ to attack a ‘particular community.’
‘It is no accident that the three states where the government is talking about reducing population are UP (Uttar Pradesh), Assam and Lakshadweep, where everyone knows who their intended audience is,’ the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram stated.
When questioned about the effort for population reduction in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, he remarked: ‘The Hindutva elements in our polity have not really studied the demographic issues. Their motive is purely political and communal.’
Tharoor’s comments came days after the draft population control bill from Uttar Pradesh was made public and the Assam government suggested a strategy in this area. Both states are ruled by the BJP.
Post Your Comments