Population Growth Rate and Hindu Muslim Divide.

With the statement given by Sakshi Maharaj, that Hindu woman should give birth to four children, a new dimension to, BJP’s development agenda against fringe element’s / parent organisation’s cultural agenda on one end and Hindu Muslim divide on the other end has emerged.

While BJP (officially) says, we do not concur with the view and has given show cause notice to adamant MP. Congress says all are hand in glove and so on.

It is no secret that some element of BJP (including some new entrant in its fold) by emphasizing development agenda, wish to come out of RSS shadow and make BJP a PAN India party, RSS and its parivar, see (BJP rule) an opportunity to spread its /their own ideology and increase influence over society.  Aim of both is same but path is different.

To some extent both group are successful also, that is why, in 102th National Science Congress, many of non –scientific issues (including Make in India) were discussed.

If we do not subscribe to view of congress that all are hand in glove, there seems to be intense internal war going on between Govt. and RSS. And many of Modi’s admirer like economist Bahgawati has cautioned against RSS agenda. (Somewhere I have written and I always maintained whatever be the size of unit/ organisation, it will always will have 2 parts, each opposing other).

Any way my topic of today’s discussion is not about BJP-RSS but about Hindu Muslim.

Even though BJP has given show cause notice to MP, VHP has come out in support of Sakshi Maharaj, citing reason of demographic imbalance caused by one community (Muslim) having higher birth rate (than Hindus). To prove their point (rightfully), they quote Sachhar Committee report.

But unfortunately, while they quote population growth rate of Muslim as against Hindu, from report, they deliberately forget education, economic, job disparity between two communities noted in the report.

That gives rise to a new question, whether disparity between Hindu Muslim birth rate is due to religion factor or education/ economic factor.

To understand this /find answer, we must compare birth rate among similar educational-economic group of Hindu and Muslims (Compare first, birth rate based on education/ economic criterion and then further based on religion), and still we find Muslim birth  rate is higher than Hindu’s birth rate then only we can attribute it to religion factor. 

There is a wide spectrum of opinion with regard to Hindu Muslim relations.

a.       Muslims has got their own nation and they do not have any place in India. v/s

b.      Indian Muslims have shown faith in secular India, and they need all the protection /encouragement.

c.       During the app. 600 years of their rule , Muslims have destroyed Hindu culture and it is time to take revenge v/s

d.      While ruling in India (unlike Britishors ) they have mixed with/ settled in India and has given rise to what we call ganga- jamuna tehjib and that is soul of present day India and needs to be preserved at any cost and so on

On which side of spectrum you stand, one is labelled as secular/ communal-nationalist etc.

Whatever may be one’s view, it must be admitted that in our feudal system (where caste/society is given more importance /prominence) like India, where progress of individual / community depends on right connections with ruling class (not only in politics but, business industry and every walk of life), and in this respect Hindu (secular or otherwise) being ruling class Muslim (and earlier other Dalit Hindus) could not make progress based on Merit (in general Muslim ruling class opted for Pakistan, today if 2 youth both 10^th pass, is interviewed for peon post , chance is Hindu youth will be selected over Muslim youth ).

As implied above, Muslims (who remained in/ opted India), were back ward class on the eve of Independence and benefit of any leadership and thus the gap between Muslim and other community widened over time.

 In this scenario there may be a deliberate thinking (other than economic, educational reasons), but I am not sure, in community to preserve identity by increasing proportionate population (overlooking what a small, but economic strong community can achieve- like Parsi).

But I still believe high birth rate among Muslims have roots in poverty and low education.

Solution to demographic imbalance can be found in decreasing Muslim birth rate by eliminating above causes (of high birth rate) and not increasing Hindus birth rate.

Prakash

16.01.15