Yogi Adityanath meets Mohan Bhagwat, population issue 'discussed': Report

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday met RSS head Mohan Bhagwat here, with the two leaders learnt to have discussed the population issue.

According to sources, Chief Minister Adityanath flew from Lucknow to meet Bhagwat and the two were together for about an hour. The two had lunch together after which the CM returned, they said, adding that both discussed the population issue. Adityanath also invited the RSS chief to Deepotsav at Ayodhya on October 23.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattatreya Hosabale had on Wednesday said religious conversion and migration from Bangladesh were causing "population imbalance" and called for strict implementation of anti-conversion laws.

Bhagwat had attended an RSS meet there from October 16 to 19 in which the population problem was discussed.

Read | Muslims use condoms the most, population on decline, says Owaisi on RSS Chief's remarks

The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission had last year submitted to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a draft population control bill and made a slew of recommendations, including additional incentives to public servants for adopting the one-child norm and banning those who violate the two-child policy from contesting local bodies polls.

The recommendations were made in the 19th report on Population Control, Stabilisation and Welfare. The report along with the draft Uttar Pradesh Population Control, Stabilisation and Welfare Bill, 2021 was handed over to the CM. But, no further action was initiated.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said whatever issue the RSS raises is always in the interest of the nation and added its concern over population problem would get support of the nation.

When asked by the media in Lucknow if the government will bring a policy on the issue of population control, Maurya said, "We will have to wait for what the government will do once a meeting is held over it. What I am saying is my personal opinion."

"The number of people opposing this issue is very small. Even among them the good people are in support. See, problems will appear if 100 people start living in a house made for 10 people," he added.

A few months ago, Adityanath had said population control programmes must not lead to an "imbalance" by focusing on "native" residents while the growth rate of some community remains high, a possible reference to Muslims.

He said "population stabilisation" should be uniform across different sections of people, and expressed concern over the likelihood of "anarchy" at some point if there are "imbalances" in a country.

"It should not happen that the speed of population growth or the percentage of some community is high and we stabilise the population of the 'moolniwasi' (natives) through awareness or enforcement," he had said.

Such situation could have an adverse impact on religious demography and after some time "disorder" (avayvastha) and "anarchy" (arajakta) could begin in that country, the CM had said.