Dattatreya Hosabale, general secretary of the RSS, expressed concern about India’s population imbalance on Wednesday, stressing the importance of strict enforcement of anti-conversion laws and the formulation of a uniform population policy.
The RSS general secretary, speaking to reporters after a four-day Akhil Bhartiya Karyakari Mandal meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said the organization is working to raise awareness about religious conversions. Hosabale also stated that RSS led Ghar Wapsi drive has given favourable outcomes in bringing back people who converted to other faiths like Islam and Christianity.
The RSS leader raised concern over decreasing population of Hindus and added that India needs to have a uniform population policy.
“Due to religious conversions, the Hindu population has dwindled. Trespassing in certain parts of the country has exacerbated the problem, which must be addressed. Thus, India should have a population policy that has been thoroughly thought out and is equally applicable to all communities,” he said on the final day of the RSS working committee meeting.
The RSS leader warned that population imbalance has in the past led to partition in many countries, including India. He also pointed out that after conversions, infiltration is the second biggest reason behind population imbalance. “Population imbalance leads to alteration of geographical boundaries. Religious conversions and migration from other countries need to be stopped,” he asserted.
“Population imbalance caused by Bangladeshi infiltration has been observed in districts of north Bihar, including Purnia and Katihar, as well as in other states,” Dattatreya Hosabale added.
Making an indirect reference to the anti-conversion laws in states like Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, Hosabale emphasized that the existing laws need proper implementation as the population of Hindus is declining in many states owing to religious conversion. He alleged that “conspiracies are being hatched in various parts of the country for religious conversions.”
Hosabale also asserted that the Sangh treats everyone equally as citizens of India and has been striving to connect with all communities and tribes in the northeast. “It is because of the efforts of the RSS towards ‘Swabhiman Jagran’ that the feeling of ‘Main Bhi Hindu Hoon’ (I too, am a Hindu) has grown in the people of the northeast.
“Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has visited the northeastern states of Meghalaya and Manipur and instilled a sense of Hindu pride in the tribal communities there,” Hosabale said, adding that “the tribal community has begun inviting the Sarsanghchalak there,” he added.
Notably, the RSS leader, referring to the committee formed by former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan to examine whether communities that converted to other religions should be granted Scheduled Caste status, stated that those who convert to other religions for any reason should not be eligible for reservation benefits.
According to Hosabale, the meeting also discussed the increased participation of women in social activities of the Hindu community. “Women are entering every sector. Their influence on social work decision-making must increase as well,” he stated.
According to the RSS, 372 Sangh workers attended the meeting. Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief, also attended the meeting in Prayagraj from October 16 to 19. The RSS leader stated that over 3,000 young people have joined the Sangh in the last two years, and the number of RSS “shakhas” has increased from 54,382 to 61,045 in one year.
“More than 130,000 people have joined the Sangh through the “Join RSS” platform, which was launched in 2010-11,” he said. The RSS will mark its centenary in 2025.
