RSS calls for national population policy to avoid socio-economic disparities
July 8 issue says, “rising Muslim population” and lower birth rates will put western and southern states at a disadvantage during delimitation
There should be a national population policy so that demographic changes do not disproportionately impact any religious community or region, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has said.
If the same is not ensured, it can lead to socio-economic disparities and political conflicts, said a cover story published in the Organiser, the mouthpiece of the RSS.
'Rising Muslim population'
The July 8 issue of the magazine also spoke about a “rising Muslim population” and lower birth rates placing western and southern states at a disadvantage during delimitation.
Delimitation which could push up the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is expected to happen during Narendra Modi’s third term as the prime minister.
The weekly said that the southern “disadvantage” is significant as redrawing electoral boundaries is likely to help the BJP.
Regional imbalance
Prafulla Ketkar, the editor of Organiser, said: “Regional imbalance is another critical dimension... Despite stabilising the population at the national level, it is not the same in all religions and regions. The states from the West and South are doing relatively better regarding population control measures and, therefore, fear losing a few seats in Parliament if the base population is changed after the census.”
“Despite stabilising the population at the national level, it is not the same in all religions and regions. There is a significant Muslim population growth in certain areas. In a democracy, when numbers are critical regarding representation and demography decides the destiny, we must be even more cautious of this trend," Ketkar added.
