Patna: Union Minister Giriraj Singh, who is known for his controversial statements, has said that 'Hindu daughters' need protection and the only way to ensure that is to enforce a two-child policy for all religions.
"The centre needs to enforce a two-child policy for all religions, else the population of Muslims will rise and Hindu girls will not be safe. “Nahin toh hamein bhi Pakistan ki tarah apni betiyon ko parde mein bandh karna hoga (Otherwise, like Pakistan, we too will have to keep our daughters under veil),” Indian Express quoted Singh as saying.
The BJP MP from Nawada, who was speaking at a cultural yatra in West Champaran's Bagaha, was reportedly referring to districts such as Kishanganj and Araria, where the Muslim population has been increasing at a faster pace than the Hindu population.
He further proposed to revoke the voting rightsof those having more than two children in order to help develop the nation.
"If Malaysia and Indonesia can make the law then there must be a strict law. The nation won't progress without population control. There must be a balance. Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians - all must have at least one to two children. Those who don't follow, their voting rights must be revoked," Singh said.
Expressing concern over the decline in Hindu population, Singh said, "A law is needed on population control for all religions if development is required. The people of the nation must express their thoughts and discuss it. The media showed the condition of the Hindus in Pakistan," he added.
Singh yesterday said that if India did not change its population policy and enforce a two-child norm for all religions then the daughters will not be safe and might have to be kept under the veil like in Pakistan.
This is not the first time he has courted a controversy with his unwarranted remarks.
Earlier this month, Singh attributed the fatwa asking Muslim community members not to chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' to a conspiracy by international powers to destroy India and divide it into bits and pieces.
Last month, he had said that Akhilesh Yadav's government has turned Uttar Pradesh into a nursery of terrorism and alleged that it was not dismissing Azam Khan for fear of losing Muslim votes.
The BJP MP had earlier claimed during the Bihar Assembly election last year that, “(Mohammed Ali) Jinnah’s ghost has entered Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad and they want to make Bihar a Pakistan."
The minister had also made a racist slur on Sonia Gandhi last year, saying"had Rajiv Gandhi married a “Nigerian” woman instead of the “fair-skinned” Sonia Gandhi, the Congress party would not have accepted her as its leader.
In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had called for all those critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be sent to Pakistan.
