Union Minister Giriraj Singh has advocated 'nasbandi' (sterilisation) after demonetisation for population control to spur development, but the idea was today trashed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who said the country has seen the effect of such a move in the past.
The Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) had come up with the idea yesterday and said that after "notebandi" (demonetisation), there is an urgent need to make laws for "nasbandi" (sterilisation) in the country.
"India has 17 per cent of the world population which adds population equal to Australia every year. The country only has 2.5 per cent of land mass of the globe with only 4.2 per cent of water resources. In this scenario, the population explosion in the country is proving to be a big roadblock for development. We need a population control act to tide over the problem," Singh had said.
He had also reportedly talked about sterilisation to control the population growth at a function in his Nawada parliamentary constituency earlier.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar trashed the idea as "bakwaas" (nonsense).
"The country has seen effect of nasbandi earlier," he said, referring to the mandatory sterilisation drive during the Emergency period.
Singh's party BJP, however, chose to remain cautious over his remark. The party sought to distance itself from the word 'nasbandi', but asserted the need for birth control for nation's development.
"There may be some differences while choosing words to communicate one's message. What Giriraj Singh meant to say is to have birth control measures in order to check population explosion. This is the government's policy to go for birth control. Even some social organisations work in the field... I am not saying anything on nasbandi," Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai told PTI.
Leaders from other parties slammed Singh for the remark, saying he is merely trying to create a sensation by making such statements.
Bihar Congress president and minister Ashok Choudhary said, "People like Giriraj Singh, who belong to an ideology, are trying to create a sensation in the society by making such statements. If they are really concerned about the nation's development, they should correct it through policy measures... He is trying to sow division in the society."
Stating that both the Central and state governments have already taken a lot of effective steps to check population, Choudhary said, "It has been found that wherever female literacy level is high, fertility rate is low and vice-versa. We are trying to create that kind of system and hence, the state government has decided to open 10+2 school in every panchayat."
RJD spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari said Singh was known for his controversial statements.
"No one takes note of his statements. He must respect the dignity of the post of minister," he said.
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