UP population control bill is political fingerprinting to demonise particular community: Shashi Tharoor

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the proposed draft of the population control bill in Uttar Pradesh and Assam, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday termed it as anti-national discussion and said the policy is pure political fingerprinting in an attempt to demonise a particular community.

Speaking to ANI, Tharoor said, "Today we are looking at a situation, where the overwhelming majority of Indian states has reached a level called replacement level. For us, to be agitating about population is a wrong priority because population not only stabilise at this level but also steadily start to decline."

The Congress MP emphasised that those who are born earlier will grow older and by 2030 India will be facing an ageing population without enough young people to support the older people.

"This policy is pure political fingerprinting, they are trying to demonise a particular community. We have seen this in Assam where they are concerned about certain migrant Bengali Muslims. In Uttar Pradesh, we know what Adityanath and his henchmen are doing. Lakshadweep has 96 per cent Muslims. These are three places in India where the BJP is pushing this policy. I find it bizarre and not helpful. One can say this kind of divisive discussion is anti-national to use the famous criticism of the BJP," stated Tharoor.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adtyanath on Sunday unveiled the state's Population Policy 2021-2030 on the occasion of World Population Day. He had said that every community has been taken care of in Population Policy 2021-2030.

Under the proposed population control bill in the state, any couple who would follow the two-child policy norm will receive perks from the government.

The state's Law Commission has released the first draft of the proposed 'UP Population (Control, Stabilization and Welfare) Bill, 2021' in the public domain and invited public suggestions by July 19, 2021.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma last month had announced the gradual implementation of the two-child policy for availing government benefits in Assam.

( With inputs from ANI )