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BJP flays Muslim law board over population

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Our Political Bureau New Delhi
Last Updated : Mar 18 2013 | 6:57 PM IST
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday criticised Muslim religious leaders opposing family planning and sought a ban on people with more than two children from contesting Assembly and parliamentary elections.
 
BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi criticised Maulana Rabe Hasan Nadvi, chief of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), for rejecting even a discussion on the issue.
 
"Birth control is linked to the country's progress and an unruly growth of population acts as a speedbreaker. Religious leaders who oppose birth control by saying it un-islamic are building thousands of such speedbreakers," he said.
 
Crticising Nadvi, Naqvi said such rigid attitude had no place in democracy. The BJP had praised AIMPLB vice-president Maulana Kalbe when he said the board would discuss population control measures at its Kerala meeting next month.
 
"Every religion has some adverse comment to make on contraception. But this is more to do with the fact that when these religions came into being contraceptive technology was a non-issue. One has to look at things realistically," he said.
 
The BJP also demanded an apology from Railway Minister Lalu Prasad for implicating BJP leader LK Advani in an alleged plot to murder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, after quoting a pro al Qaeda website islamonline.com.
 
"If this website, known for anti-India propaganda, is the 'official' source quoted by a Union minister, then I can only imagine the sad state of the government," said Naqvi.
 
Yadav should stop shedding "crocodile tears for Jinnah in a bid to become a super quaid-e-azam and divide the country again," he said.
 
In fact, a large part of Naqvi talk with the press centered around the RJD leader. He accused Prasad of sending cows on train to neighbouring countries for slaughter.
 
"The NDA government had banned the practice in 2000, and we have lately come to know that Yadav has restarted this trade in cow slaughter without sufficient environmental clearances," he said.
 
"We want an immediate ban on cow traffic, and ask the government to take adequate measures to safeguard cows," he said.

 
 

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First Published: Sep 16 2004 | 12:00 AM IST

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