RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat told a gathering in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, that the next key item on the agenda of his organisation is a law restricting number of children born per couple to two.
Bhagwat made the comments while interacting with volunteers of the RSS in Moradabad where he was on a visit. Bhagwat was quoted by Amar Ujala as saying that the two-child law was "an opinion of the RSS" and the government had to decide on it.
Referring to the Ram temple issue, Bhagwat declared the RSS would be involved in the matter until the government created a trust to oversee construction of the proposed Ram temple. "After this, the RSS will disassociate itself" from the Ram temple issue. Bhagwat also declared calls to reclaim disputed religious sites at Kashi and Mathura had never been on the agenda of the RSS.
Bhagwat also told the gathering in Moradabad that the Sangh Parivar would not "retreat" on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which is facing strident protests by opposition groups. Bhagwat reiterated the RSS's support for the Narendra Modi government on the issue and called on RSS volunteers to raise awareness on the Citizenship Act.
Population control has been a tricky issue for the RSS and its affiliates. While some RSS affiliates have called for enacting laws to curb what they allege is the fast growth in population of minorities, others have called on Hindus to produce more children.
In his annual Dussehra address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur in 2015, Bhagwat had called for a population policy.
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“We need to rise above vote bank politics to formulate a holistic approach, equally applicable to all citizens, towards the population policy... With rise in population, the burden on the country will grow. Population growth can be an asset too. If we have more mouths to feed, we will also have more hands to work. We have to plan for 50 years hence. How to provide for the education and health of the people,” Bhagwat said in his speech.
However, Bhagwat was deplored by opposition parties in 2016 for allegedly implying Hindus should have more children. Bhagwat had then told a meeting in Agra, "Which law says that the population of Hindus should not rise? There is nothing like that. What is stopping them when population of others is rising?..."
In October, the BJP government in Assam decided to make those with more than two children ineligible for government jobs. The policy will come into effect from January 1 2021.
