Need to maintain demographic balance: Bhagwat

Bhagwat presented the Sangh’s views on a number of contentious issues while answering wide-ranging written questions on the last day of the RSS’ three-day conclave, including on matters like inter-caste marriages, education policy, crimes against women and cow vigilantism.

Bhagwat also strongly backed existing quota for different communities, but said there should not be any politics on the issue. He claimed there is an increasing acceptance of Hindutva, his organisation’s founding ideology, in the world but anger existed against it in India due to various wrong practices which have crept in over the years. The Sangh is working to remove them, he added. To a question about changing demographic balance in parts of India and the ‘declining’ Hindu population, the RSS chief said the matter of demographic balance is considered significant the world over and it should be maintained here also. Once a policy is decided, it should be applied on everyone, not sparing anyone, he said, drawing a big round of applause from the packed auditorium. Such a policy can be introduced later among those where such a problem is not there, he said, adding only law is a not a solution to the issue. 

Many BJP leaders and Hindu outfits have been raising the issue of what they call a dwindling Hindu population against increasing Muslim numbers.

Speaking against religious conversion, Bhagwat said it is almost always done with ulterior motives and also causes demographic imbalance. 

He also pitched for protection of cows but disapproved of going against the law in the name of cow vigilantism. The RSS chief said it is a crime to take tje law in one’s own hands and there should be stringent punishment in such cases, but added, “we have to reject the double-speak as there is no talk of violence by cow smugglers”. He was asked about increasing cases of mob lynching and cow vigilantism in the country.

On the Sangh’s view on the issue of inter-caste marriages, Bhagwat said it supports such weddings and if there is a census on inter-caste marriages, the maximum cases will be those from the Sangh.

Bhagwat said the Sangh was not opposed to any language, including English, but it should be given its proper place, suggesting it cannot replace an Indian language.