Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supremo Mohan Bhagwat has encouraged couples to have a minimum of three children to prevent a decline in the population.
Addressing the ‘Kathale Kul (clan) Sammelan’ in Nagpur on Sunday, he emphasised that the ‘kutumb’ (family) is a fundamental unit of society.
He claimed, “A declining population is a serious issue. Demographic studies suggest that when a society’s total fertility rate falls below 2.1, it risks facing extinction. This decline does not necessarily require external threats; a society can gradually fade away on its own.”
Bhagwat was talking about the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), or the number of babies a typical woman between the ages of 15 and 49 will have throughout her lifetime. According to statistics from the National Family Health Survey published in 2021, India’s TFR decreased from 2.2 to 2 while the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate rose from 54% to 67%.
“Many languages and cultures have already disappeared due to this issue. Thus, it is essential to maintain a fertility rate above 2.1.” Referring to India’s population policy, Bhagwat said, “The policy, formulated either in 1998 or 2002, clearly says that the total fertility rate should not fall below 2.1. Now when we say 2.1, it is not feasible to have children in fraction. So when we say 2.1, this means it should be more, at least three. The (population) science says so,” he said.
A TFR of 2.1 is referred to as “replacement-level fertility,” which indicates that a woman and her partner may be replaced with two children. The replacement TFR is somewhat higher than two since not all infants make it to reproductive age. This guarantees the ability of every generation to replace itself. An absolute drop will only happen if TFRs stay below replacement levels over prolonged periods of time, even if populations can still increase while TFRs plummet.
The population issue is not the first time Bhagwat has addressed it. He has previously spoken about religion-based population balance and population control.
Bhagwat made a controversial assertion in 2021 during a book launch event in Assam, claiming that from 1930, “planned efforts” had been conducted to increase the number of Muslims in India. There have been coordinated attempts to increase the Muslim population in an organised way since 1930.
In order to assert their power and gradually transform this country into Pakistan, the plan was to grow the population, according to Bhagwat.
AIMIM head and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi cited Bhagwat’s recent comments, stating, “PM Modi had earlier said that Muslim women produce more children.”
He also cited Modi’s claims that the Congress would transfer wealth, including “mangalsutras,” from Muslim mothers and daughters if it was elected.
“Bhagwat says produce more children. Now, those in the RSS should start marrying,” Owaisi said.
Southern chief ministers have been voicing concerns about their states’ ageing population at the same time as Bhagwat’s most recent remarks. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, whose party is a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), asked for more children in his state in October.
He stated, “We are thinking of encouraging couples to have larger families and providing incentives to families with more children.”
Additionally, his administration eliminated the two-child rule for candidates running in the state’s local body elections. Telangana is anticipated to adopt a similar strategy shortly.
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