ABAP backs state’s new population control policy

Prayagraj: Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex decision-making body of the 13 recognised Hindu religious akharas or monastic orders of the country, has supported the proposed new population policy being brought by the Yogi government.
“Population explosion is a matter of deep concern. The government should come out with a strict law to control the population and the same should be binding on every citizen living in the state as well as the entire country,” ABAP president Mahant Narendra Giri said in a statement issued to the media on Monday.
Giri said, “The rapid population explosion in the country and the state is also the reason for many major problems. Therefore, it is very important that the ever-increasing population should be stopped immediately.”
The ABAP chief appealed to the Muslim religious leaders to “accept the proposed law with sincerity and make people of their religion aware of the need of having fewer children”.
“The increase in population is directly affecting the quality of education and medical system in the country and the state. On the other hand, Muslim religious leaders are calling a child ‘gift of Allah’. The law on controlling population should be so strict that if a third child is born to any couple, they should not have the right to vote nor the right to contest elections. Also, Aadhaar cards should not be issued to such people,” ABAP president demanded.
Giri asserted, “Three marriages are allowed in Muslim society, so wives may be three, but children should be only two in the entire family.”
He further demanded that those having three children should also be deprived of all the schemes of the government. “Only then can this law be strictly followed in the true sense,” he added.
“The growing population of the country is the biggest issue, so people of all religions can get rid of this problem together. Caste and religion should not be brought in the middle of population control steps. Rather, considering it as a challenge, everyone should follow the law being brought for population control,” he said.
The Uttar Pradesh State Law Commission released the first draft of the proposed population control bill — titled The Uttar Pradesh Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021 — on Friday which has provisions to debar people who have more than two children from the benefits of government schemes and perks to those who follow the two-child policy.
Further, anyone violating two-child policy in the state will be debarred from contesting local bodies elections, from applying for or getting promotion in government jobs, and receiving any kind of government subsidy.