On Sunday, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat identified religious conversion, infiltration and low birth rates as the three main factors behind the population imbalance, saying scientific research suggests “we should have three children in a family”, though he stressed that it remains a personal choice.
Responding to a question, the RSS chief said doctors advise that marriage between the ages of 19 and 25 and having three children is beneficial for the health of both parents and healthy children. He added that psychologists believe that three children help siblings manage ego-related issues and ensure a stable family life in the long run, PTI reported.
Bhagwat was answering questions during an interactive session with participants in Mumbai at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) centenary programme.
“While freedom of belief . . .”
Responding to a query about the infiltration, he said RSS workers identified the suspected infiltrators using language and reported them to the authorities.
Of the population imbalance, Bhagwat said, “There were three main reasons; the first was religious conversion. While freedom of belief was guaranteed, the use of force, inducement or deception to convert people and increase the number of a sect was absolutely reprehensible.”
He cited the example of poet Narayan Vaman Tilak to emphasize freedom of religion, while asserting that “ghar wapasi” was the answer for those who wanted to return to their original religion.
We are paving the way for those who want to return, he said.
“The second reason was infiltration, for which the government had to undertake extensive work,” the RSS chief said.
He added that detections and deportations had started slowly and would pick up pace, citing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in which some individuals were identified as stateless and removed from electoral rolls.
“RSS workers also used the language to identify suspected infiltrators and report them to the authorities,” Bhagwat said, adding that while Indian citizens, including Muslims, would be employed, foreigners would not.
According to him, the third reason for the population imbalance is the low birth rate.
He said population scientists warn that a population is at risk when fertility falls below 2.3, and that a country is considered to be in decline at that level.
“Now we are going below 2.1 and we are saved only because of states like Bihar,” Bhagwat said, adding that several countries have taken steps to reverse the population decline.
Referring to India’s population policy, he said the prescribed fertility rate of 2.1, after rounding, actually means three children.
“All kinds of scientific research now shows that we should have three children in the family,” he said, stressing that it remains a matter of choice for men, women and families and should be seen as a wider social issue.
Referring to the English book “Cheaper by the Dozen”, the RSS chief said it shows that raising more children need not be a big problem.
Referring to the author’s personal account of raising 12 children in the US, he said the book argued that having more children could be economical, and was also made into a film.
He said that marriage is not only about a physical relationship between two individuals but an institution to create a family which in turn forms part of society.
“It should not happen that one gets married without taking responsibility,” he said, adding that while remaining single is a personal choice for RSS volunteers, family life involves responsibilities and relationships that need to be maintained.
‘I don’t want to take away…’
Talking about infiltration, Bhagwat said RSS workers also identified suspected infiltrators through language and reported them to the authorities, adding that while Indian citizens, including Muslims, would be employed, foreigners would not.
Vigilance is necessary, he said, noting that Hindu society has largely given up menial or routine jobs in pursuit of higher salaries, creating space for infiltrators to take such jobs.
“We don’t want to take away anyone’s job, but our people should get jobs first,” Bhagwat said, adding that even citizens who do not identify as Hindus should be given priority in local employment.
Referring to employment and technology, he said India has a large population and needs technology to create more jobs.
While he is not against artificial intelligence, he said it should be used in ways that generate employment.
Bhagwat called for “mass production”, instead of mass production.
The RSS chief further emphasized the need for employment to prevent social unrest and said an idle mind could lead to Naxalism, urban violence and atrocities on women.
According to him, gross domestic product (GDP) was an imperfect indicator of economic health because it only measured tangible and measurable activities.
Citing the example of women’s unpaid domestic work, Bhagwat said such contributions are not reflected in the GDP figures. He called for both quantitative and qualitative output and said the rupee would strengthen against the US dollar regardless of the GDP data.
Referring to the Hindu population in Bangladesh, he said unity would enable them to influence local politics.
“Hindus in Bangladesh have decided to unite and resist rather than flee,” Bhagwat said, adding that the RSS would do what it could within its limited capacity in their behalf.
He also said that forces trying to break up the country would disintegrate on their own and argued that India would not fall prey to such tactics.
Responding to a query about the division of the country by 2047, Bhagwat said, “People should envision ‘Akhand Bharat’ by then.