The Rajasthan MLA Balmukundacharya recently commented on population control and expressed worry over the growth rate within a particular community. “There is a huge problem of increasing population. There is a particular community which has ‘char begum aur chhatis bacche’. There are countless such cases. This is wrong. There should be equal laws for everyone, otherwise how will the country move forward,” he remarked. Congress legislators have been in uproar over this remark, seeing it as BJP targeting Muslims.
“There is nothing wrong in the population law. The way the population is increasing, there is a need for more food and housing. This (population) is a hurdle in growth. If we want to become a prosperous and developed country, there should be collective agreement on this and population control law should be made, it will be beneficial for all,” he said.
“A sister came to my office and said she was the third wife of her husband and now he was going to bring a fourth. I told her that now there is a law against it and she should go to police,” he said.
“It is not a matter of government or non-government benefits. The point is that in the country, some families say ‘hum do hamare do’, while some say whatever (birth) is happening, let it happen as it is God’s will. There is a need to look into this,” he said.
Reacting to it, the BJP MLA justified his move saying a population control law was needed for optimum utilisation of resources and for national development. He drew examples from his constituency mentioning examples of families with many children and cases of polygamy.
He underlined the welfare and equality initiatives taken by PM Narendra Modi, adding that developmental progress under Modi's leadership is beyond politics of appeasement. The MLA also referred to some measures the central government has taken in limiting benefits to only two or three children.
“It is a bitter truth that when the population increases and the resources decrease, problems will arise. And that is why efforts are being made at the level of the central government. There is a thought that couples who have more than two or three children should not get any benefit of government facilities,” he said.
Responding to these remarks, Congress MLA Harimohan Sharma berated the BJP for allegations against one community rather than on the merits-based population concerns. He said that he would support a law on population control but claimed the BJP was being driven by its discriminatory agendas.
“A particular community is being targeted. If population law is to be brought, Congress would support it but the BJP’s intention is to target the Muslim community instead of bringing the law,” he told reporters.
“The BJP government talks from a political point of view and from the point of view of targeting a particular community,” he said.
Therefore, one can find the reflection of ongoing tension regarding population policies and their alleged impact on different communities in Rajasthan.
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