GANDHINAGAR: The BJP-led government of Gujarat plans to introduce a population control law ahead of the 2022 parliamentary elections, along the lines of that proposed by the government of Uttar Pradesh.
Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister and Government Spokesperson, said on Tuesday: “The Government of Gujarat will first study new laws introduced by other states on population control before making a final decision on the question. Patel’s statement came at a time when the BJP-led government of Uttar Pradesh has introduced a population control bill, which states that people with more than two children will not be allowed to stand for election to local bodies, apply for government jobs or receive any type of grant.
Speaking to Gandhinagar media, the deputy chief minister said, “Different states are passing new laws for population control. The Gujarat government will study these laws first and make a proper decision if necessary. The BJP leader further said that the state government has already implemented a law prohibiting people with more than two children from standing for election to local bodies, such as taluka panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations.
“In Gujarat, people with more than two children cannot challenge the polls of local bodies. It shows that we implemented this idea (of population control) many years ago. Additionally, we also conduct awareness campaigns to convince people to opt for family planning,” Patel said.
The government of Gujarat had introduced a law in 2005, setting a limit of two children to stand in local elections while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Since then, many candidates have been barred from running for office because they have more than two children.
‘BJP wants to distract from core issues’:
The Congress alleged that the BJP was seeking to divert people’s attention from the fundamental issues of rising prices, the problems of farmers and others. “The BJP is throwing out ideas like a population control bill only to divert people’s attention from fundamental issues like soaring prices, failure to address the issues of farmers, youth and women , etc.”, Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said.
Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister and Government Spokesperson, said on Tuesday: “The Government of Gujarat will first study new laws introduced by other states on population control before making a final decision on the question. Patel’s statement came at a time when the BJP-led government of Uttar Pradesh has introduced a population control bill, which states that people with more than two children will not be allowed to stand for election to local bodies, apply for government jobs or receive any type of grant.
Speaking to Gandhinagar media, the deputy chief minister said, “Different states are passing new laws for population control. The Gujarat government will study these laws first and make a proper decision if necessary. The BJP leader further said that the state government has already implemented a law prohibiting people with more than two children from standing for election to local bodies, such as taluka panchayats, district panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations.
“In Gujarat, people with more than two children cannot challenge the polls of local bodies. It shows that we implemented this idea (of population control) many years ago. Additionally, we also conduct awareness campaigns to convince people to opt for family planning,” Patel said.
The government of Gujarat had introduced a law in 2005, setting a limit of two children to stand in local elections while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Since then, many candidates have been barred from running for office because they have more than two children.
‘BJP wants to distract from core issues’:
The Congress alleged that the BJP was seeking to divert people’s attention from the fundamental issues of rising prices, the problems of farmers and others. “The BJP is throwing out ideas like a population control bill only to divert people’s attention from fundamental issues like soaring prices, failure to address the issues of farmers, youth and women , etc.”, Congress spokesman Manish Doshi said.