The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilisation and Welfare) Act, 2021, unveiled by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the World Population Day received bouquets and brickbats from across the political spectrum.
While several political leaders welcomed the bill saying it is important to control population to sustain the nation’s economy and ensure healthy living standards, there were those who called it a “political agenda” and "murder of democracy."
"Bringing this bill means the murder of democracy. This is an immature decision on the part of the Uttar Pradesh government," said Samajwadi Party MLC Ashutosh Sinha.
Even as Congress leader K.T.S. Tulsi said “Population is a big problem. Somebody should bell the cat. This problem needs long-term handling; there should be a discussion across party lines so that everybody is on board,” UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh called it a move made keeping in mind the assembly elections in the state. "The RSS and BJP leaders talk about increasing the population. Population control is a subject of the Centre. Yogi Adityanath (CM) is bringing the bill keeping in mind the UP Assembly elections," Singh said in a tweet.
Welcoming the bill, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the message of population control should reach to everyone as it is important to "sustain the nation's economy, gross national income, healthy living standards, and a balanced environment." He urged people to "commit to contribute to population control on the occasion of World Population Day.”
Samajwadi Party leader Shafiqur Rahman Barq offered a strange criticism of the bill saying it is Allah who decides the number of lives on earth and no amount of checks can control that. "A child who has to be born, will be born. You can make a law, but when a child takes birth, who can stop it?"
The SP leader claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are backing such policies as they do not have kids. "Now, if entire India is not allowed to procreate and a situation arises that we have to face another country, from where we get men? This (draft population control bill) will prove to be a loss-making deal," Barq asked.
The draft bill prohibits from people having more than two children from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs or receiving any kind of subsidy. It also also prohibits promotions in government jobs for such people, while offering incentives to those limiting their children to two.
Unveiling the the bill Adityanath said on Sunday, "Across the world, from time to time, concerns have been expressed that increasing population can be a hurdle in development, and for the past four decades discussions on it are going on."
"The countries and states which have made efforts in this direction have seen positive results. However, more efforts are needed in this regard," he said, adding that the UP government was implementing this policy keeping in mind all sections of the society.
—with PTI inputs
