BJP to introduce private members' bills on population control, uniform civil code in Monsoon session

NEW DELHI: BJP MPs will introduce private members' bills on population control and uniform civil code in the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, according to information from the secretariats of both Houses.

The proposed legislations on population control and uniform civil code, issues that usually trigger heated polemics in the country, are in line with BJP's ideological agenda.

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh Ravi Kishan and Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan Kirori Lal Meena are scheduled to introduce the private members' bills on population control and uniform civil code respectively in the very first week of the session which is starting from July 19.

A bill introduced by a member other than a minister is known as a private member's bill and there is little possibility of it becoming a law without the government's support.

According to the details available with Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha secretariats, Kishan and Meena will get an opportunity to introduce their respective private member bills on July 24, which was decided through the lottery system.

A notice for a similar bill on population control has also been given by BJP MP in Rajya Sabha Rakesh Sinha.

The proposed legislations on population control emphasise on deincentivising couples having more than two children, by making them ineligible for government jobs and subsidies on various facilities and goods given by the government.

Asked about the bill, Sinha said population growth has been ringing an "alarm bell" for the country and asserted that a central law is "most required" as it will be applicable across the nation.

The unchecked population growth needs to be regulated, he said.

The move comes close on the heels of the Uttar Pradesh law commission putting up a draft bill on population control on its website, inviting suggestions from the public till July 19.

It says people having more than two children in Uttar Pradesh will be debarred from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs or receiving any kind of subsidy.

Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a critical intervention in the debate over the issue during his speech on August 15, Sinha said that Modi had called for a balance between resources and population.

The discourse over the issue should not be seen through caste and religious angles, Sinha said.

According to PRS Legislative, no private members' bills have been passed by Parliament since 1970.

A total of 14 such bills have received Parliament's nod.