Opposition targets Mohan Bhagwat over ‘at least 3 children’ advice: ‘Stop instrumentalising women’s bodies’

Samajwadi Party leader Abhishek Mishra told The Indian Express there should be no “ideological sermonising” on the issue and such decisions should be left to families and added that diktats on private matters had not worked anywhere.

Bhagwat at an event in Nagpur on Sunday claimed that a society whose Total Fertility Rate (TFR) falls below 2.1 “perishes on its own”. “As per the population policy of 1998 or 2002, I do not exactly remember, it was said the population growth must not fall below 2.1. Now, a human is not born in the 0.1 fraction … So, it should be a minimum of three,” he said.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat targeted the RSS chief saying his remarks were an attempt to “instrumentalise women’s bodies and choices”. She told The Indian Express, “Bhagwat ji and his kin should stop instrumentalising women’s bodies and their choices about having children to suit his agenda.”

Of late, population has been a significant part of the political discourse given that delimitation, which is population-based, is likely to be held in 2026. Southern states, which are already at loggerheads with the Centre over a disparity in tax devolution, fear diminishing political importance post-delimitation.

The BJP’s biggest NDA ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP), whose chief and Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu recently advocated for couples having more children, citing the state’s ageing population, had a measured reaction to Bhagwat’s remarks. The party claimed it was concerned about Andhra Pradesh and its holistic development. “We recently scrapped the two-child policy as it suits the state’s population dynamics vis-a-vis low fertility rates and did not link it to delimitation or any particular community’s population,” said TDP national spokesperson Jyothsna Tirunagari.

Saying that the RSS is a cultural organisation, the BJP’s second-largest ally Janata Dal (United) pointed out how Bihar is a “role model” when it comes to implementing population control measures. “Since our student days, we have been learning about population explosion being a problem. (Former Prime Minister) Atal Bihar Vajpayee ji had spoken of population control through education and healthcare. Even PM Narendra Modi has expressed similar sentiments and said the issue has to be approached socially. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data shows Bihar is among the best in controlling population growth,” JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told The Indian Express. According to NFHS-5 data, Bihar’s TFR has come down to 3 from 4 three decades ago but is still the highest in the country.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) national spokesperson A K Vajpayee called for a change in approach with changing times. “As times change, ground reality and factors (affecting the issue) also change. Earlier, population control was the need of the hour. As the requirements change, the approach also must be tweaked,” he told The Indian Express.