After 'Pressure' from RSS-Affiliated Groups, U'khand Studying UP's Draft Bill on Population Control

In order to come up with its own policy on population control, the Uttarakhand government is examining Uttar Pradesh’s draft population control Bill.

According to a report by The Indian Express, this comes almost two months after functionaries from 35 RSS affiliates during a meeting with the ruling BJP suggested that the Pushkar Singh Dhami government should come up with a population control policy in Uttarakhand similar to those in Assam and Uttar Pradesh to ensure “demographic balance” in the hill state.

The UP Law Commission last month submitted the Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Draft Bill to the Chief Minister’s Office for consideration and further action. That draft Bill aims to bring down the gross fertility rate by de-incentivising more than two children per couple, and by offering a range of benefits to those who choose not to have more than two children.

ALSO READ | RSS Seeks Population Policy in Uttarakhand on Lines of UP, Assam to Ensure ‘Demographic Balance’: Report

Last month in a meeting of the BJP and RSS in Uttarakhand, a population control policy similar to Assam and Uttar Pradesh was proposed in order to ensure “demographic balance”.

According to a report by The Indian Express, RSS claimed that the Muslim population has increased — particularly in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital — over the years, and there has been unauthorised development of Muslim religious sites. They demanded that such places be identified and appropriate action taken.

At the meeting in Dehradun, apart from CM Dhami, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, state party president Madan Kaushik, and RSS joint general secretaries Dr Krishna Gopal and Arun Kumar — who is RSS’s new BJP pointsperson — were present.

The announcement by two BJP-ruled states, Uttar Pradesh and Assam, about their intent to introduce a population control policy is in line with the demand of RSS, for a nationwide policy to check what it calls “demographic imbalance”.

Furthermore, less than a month after Uttarakhand BJP leader Ajendra Ajay wrote to CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, objecting to the purchase of land in the hills and setting up places of worship by “members of a certain community”, terming it “land jihad”, the state government in an official communication, said it had come to its notice that “rapid population growth in some areas of the state had led to a demographic shift, whose ill-effects had started showing in the form of migration of people of certain communities”.

According to a report by Times of India, the official release stated, “There is a possibility of communal atmosphere getting vitiated in some places. Expressing concern over the situation, the government has directed the DGP, all district magistrates and SSPs to take precautionary steps to address the problem”.

The release added, the government has called for the formation of peace committees in various areas.

“Police and district authorities have been told to mark such areas and ensure strict action is taken against anti-social elements. They have also been asked to prepare a district-wise list of people who have come from other states and have a criminal history,” it said.

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