Strict population control laws with punitive measures to curb population growth and writing of the 22 official languages in Devanagari script were some of the suggestions made by BJP members at the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh Harnath Singh Yadav and Shiv Pratap Shukla made the recommendations during a zero hour speech.
Mr Shukla said the regional languages were the guardians of Indian tradition and heritage but remained hidden as the general population did not have access to them. “Of all languages, Hindi is spoken and understood in every corner of the country. So I suggest that the 22 official languages be written in Devanagari script,” Mr. Shukla said, speaking in Hindi.
He argued that if languages were available in Devanagari script, they could be understood not only by parliamentarians but also by everyone.
His comments drew strong protests from MDMK member Vaiko.
Speaking on the need for a population control law, Mr Yadav said that according to the 1951 census, the population of India was 36 crores, in 2011 it rose to 121 crores and that in 2025 it should be 150 crores. He blamed the population explosion for unemployment, food shortage, malnutrition, poverty, agrarian crisis and water shortage. “We won’t have water to drink. Currently each Indian has 1,525 cubic meters of water, by 2025 it will be 1,060,” Yadav said.
For a ‘golden future’ of the country, the BJP MP said it was essential to rise above political, religious and caste differences to introduce a strong population control law. He said there should be a strict two-child policy.