NEW DELHI: A authorities panel report on the rise in Muslim inhabitants within the nation kicked up a political slugfest on Thursday with the ruling BJP focusing on the Congress on its pitch for giving reservation to the minority group and the opposition accusing the saffron get together of attempting to create a communal divide amid ongoing parliamentary elections. This got here after a current working paper by the Financial Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) mentioned the share of the Hindu inhabitants decreased by 7.82 per cent between 1950 and 2015 in India, whereas that of Muslims elevated by 43.15 per cent, suggesting that there’s a conducive surroundings within the nation to foster variety.
The paper titled ‘Share of Non secular Minorities: A Cross-Nation Evaluation (1950-2015)’ additional mentioned the share of Jains within the inhabitants of India decreased from 0.45 per cent in 1950 to 0.36 per cent in 2015. Latching on to the report, the BJP expressed concern over the tempo of enhance in Muslim inhabitants within the nation and questioned its affect on the reservation offered to SCs, STs and OBCs, claiming the Congress is “hell bent” on offering quota to the minority group if voted to energy.
“If you happen to see the 1951 census, Hindus have been having 88 per cent inhabitants and Muslims 9.5 per cent. Within the 2011 census, Hindus (inhabitants) decreased to 79.eight p.c from 80 p.c whereas Muslims’ share went up by greater than 14.5,” BJP nationwide spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi advised PTI, when requested for remark.
“However, the query arises that if by this tempo the inhabitants is growing and Congress is hell bent upon giving reservation to the Muslims on the idea of inhabitants, they may lower the share of the SCs, STs and the OBCs,” he added. Trivedi mentioned the Congress, if voted to energy, will then carry on “altering” the share of reservation in future with enhance within the Muslim inhabitants, “which is extra doubtless as a result of they (Muslims) are having chance of a number of marriages”.
Muslims share within the reservation will carry on growing additionally due to “conversion and infiltration as a result of they’re having a secular cowl from them (the Congress)”, he claimed. Hitting again, the opposition leaders accused the BJP of attempting to create communal divide over the report amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
CPI basic secretary D Raja and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav slammed the Union authorities for not conducting the census, and known as the working paper by the EAC-PM an try and get votes by creating strife. “Why has the PM’s financial advisory council come out with this report at a time when the nation goes for elections?” he requested. “The prime minister is already attempting to polarise folks within the identify of Muslims, speaking about handing over keys of Ram Mandir to Muslims… He takes up all such points. Meaning there’s an try and polarise folks by bringing out such information. Folks needs to be cautious of such studies,” Raja alleged.
Slamming the BJP over the report, Yadav mentioned, “The census that was to occur in 2020-21 has not been executed until now, it is 2024.” “Their (BJP) intention is barely to mislead the folks of the nation and to unfold hatred. That is the agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP. They’ve fooled folks of this nation for ten years, they usually need to do this once more,” the RJD chief charged.
Samajwadi Occasion MP ST Hassan additionally flayed the BJP over the report and mentioned its a conspiracy to create hatred and polarise the voters. “It is election time. Any report can come… Modi ji is rattled,” he advised PTI. Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar mentioned the EAC-PM’s report raises many questions as a result of one specific group is “growing its inhabitants in a fashion the place demography of India is being altered, modified”.
“How a lot of this progress in Muslim group (inhabitants) is being brought on by unlawful immigration and conversion?…What would be the consequence when you’ve gotten the Muslim group growing its inhabitants so quickly, from 9 per cent to 14.5 per cent and there are political forces that need to give them reservation?” he requested.
Union minister Giriraj Singh alleged that Hindu inhabitants within the nation has gone down because of the Congress’ politics of appeasement. “Hindu inhabitants is reducing, Muslim inhabitants is growing… It exhibits that within the days to come back, they need to make India an Islamic state,” he charged. Amid debate over EAC-PM’s report, Inhabitants Basis of India, a non-government organisation, mentioned the inhabitants progress charges should not linked to faith and the whole fertility fee (TFR) amongst all non secular teams is declining, with the best lower noticed amongst Muslims.
