A Hindu nationalist group in India, the world’s most populous country, has demanded a law to control population growth over perceived fears that Muslims could outnumber the majority Hindus. “Hindus generally settle down for one or two children… [but] there are people who say children are Allah’s gifts. This is a matter of deep concern,” said Shriraj Nair, spokesperson of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council). Nair said the Indian government “should immediately bring in a Population Control Bill.” He referred to the recent findings of a report by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC), which said the Hindu population declined by nearly 8 percent between 1950 and 2015 while Muslims grew at a record 43% in the 65 years.
“Demography decides your destiny… It’s high time Hindus awakened to this reality. Wher-ever Hindus slipped into minority, what has happened, we all know. Let’s learn from history,” Nair posted on X on May 9.
The EAC report authored by Shamika Ravi, Abraham Jose, and Apurv Kumar Mishra, said that the population of Sikhs went up by 6.58% and Christians by 5.38% in the same period.
“Migration, legal or illegal, is also responsible for change in demography in various parts of the world. But we are not talking migration or birth rate, we are talking conversion,” she added.