BJP Leader Urges Hindus to Increase Birth Rates Amid Controversy

Call for Increased Birth Rates

BJP leader Navneet Rana has made a peculiar appeal to Hindus, urging them to have at least three to four children to prevent the country's demographic structure from resembling that of Pakistan. Speaking to reporters, Rana expressed concern over certain individuals who maintain multiple wives and have numerous children, contributing to population growth. He emphasized the need for Hindus to increase their birth rates to safeguard India.

Rana stated, "I appeal to all Hindus. Listen, these individuals openly claim to have four wives and 19 children. My suggestion is that we should aim for at least three to four children each." He further commented on a person who claimed to have 19 children and four wives, questioning why Hindus should settle for just one child when there are efforts to increase the population significantly.

This statement has sparked controversy, with Congress MP Manickam Tagore calling for an end to such "irrational thinking" propagated by the RSS and BJP. He argued for a scientific approach to population statistics rather than relying on superstitions or unscientific methods. Tagore highlighted that India's population growth is concerning, particularly in states struggling to stabilize their numbers, and insisted that the nonsensical ideologies of the RSS and BJP must be challenged.

In response to Rana's remarks, AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan questioned why anyone would be discouraged from having more children, pointing out that Rana herself has only two children while encouraging women to have five. He expressed a desire to meet the couple with 19 children, suggesting they would have no answers to such claims, and noted that the total fertility rate (TFR) among Muslims is declining.