The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) international working president, Praveen Togadia, Sunday termed the West Bengal government’s move to stop him from addressing a rally in North Dinajpur district as “undemocratic” and “a dictatorial act”, saying the move “muzzles (his) freedom of speech” at a time when the Supreme Court has struck down the Section 66A of the IT Act. “I have addressed thousands of public rallies and not one law and order situation occurred anywhere after my rally,” he said. The Mamata Banerjee government had issued prohibitory orders, restricting Togadia’s entry into the state fearing “communal tension and disruption in public tranquility”. Addressing the Sunday’s press conference, Togadia also called upon the Union government to enact a law to establish two-child norm in the country and deprive those who do not adhere to it of their citizenship. He blamed “love jihad” and “higher rates of religious conversion” as the major factors behind the increase in Muslim population in India. “Growing Muslim population is a threat to Hindus and all Hindus should take note of this,” he said. He also cited “a survey conducted by an organisation in the USA”, which, he claimed, “revealed that by 2070 Muslim population will be more than that of Christians in the world and that by 2050 India will have the largest population of Muslims in the world”. Togadia also demanded that the “illegal Bangladeshis” staying in the country be deported and asked the Bengal and central governments to formulate a plan in this regard. Togadia added that all criminal cases against him have been discharged. He said VHP will make use of social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp to get across its message across the country in form of videos.
