Much Population Policy

Asish Shukla

Incidentally, Indian muslims, the majority of them poor, have been identified as the social group least likely to escape poverty-hinting at systemic bias. The dalits (untouch-ables) and adivasis indigenous people)—with combined population of over 400 million—are at the lowest rung of Indian society; and who are [largely] yet to benefit from India's past economic boom [indeed, have been victimised by it]—and are the worst victims of India's ongoing economic slowdown. Then there are other backward caste groups, the majority of them rural peasants who are among the most distressed in the world (and are killing themselves in droves)—thanks mainly to policy, but also environmental/climate collapse—and worse, with no sight of relief either. Right now, India is building massive detention centres to house illegal migrants—a move that has already affected millions (overwhelmingly muslim) in the state of Assam alone—and the plan will be extended nationwide.

To sum up then, when the Modi government and is supporters mention population, its a bit like Bolsonaro saying the destruction of the Amazon is about better nutrition for Brazilians. Bolsonaro didn't say that, but he did call Amazon deforestation 'cultural' adding it 'will never end'.

Incidentally, the [Christian] right-wing leader Bolsonaro will be the honoured guest received by the [Hindu] right-wing leader Narendra Modi at the forthcoming Republic Day (January 26) in New Delhi.

Essentially, it is the same people—victimised many times over throughout history and on whose backs india's recent prosperity has been built—and who reproduce above average because bodies are the only resource that's available to them—whose population is being demanded to be controlled by the cronies, and the middle class whose prosperity and enlightened values and 'green consciousness' has come at their cost.

Countries with a population problem must do everything to control it—because humans numbers, irrespective of consumption, is one of the drivers of the ecological crisis, which will ultimately be a crisis for human themselves, but when it is done without any effort to curb consumption, to rethink growth, to not even consider redistribution of wealth, its not merely hypocrisy but a double injustice—and the people who are asked to control their population will know that's the case, that never turns out well.

The massive population explosion that is happening in India cannot be checked without a proper population policy. This population explosion creates many new crises for the coming generation, but it has to be recognised that there is a conscious class in the country, which is well-understands well. Before giving birth to the baby in his house, he thinks well that he will do injustice to him somewhere.

The RSS, the parent organisation of the BJP, of which the PM has been a lifelong member of, too has a population control policy—one that it says would be 'religion-neutral'.

Indresh Kumar, a high functionary of the RSS, has put it in still more stronger terms, saying those who are opposing population control are "anti-development, anti-governance and anti-national".

Baba Ramdev, the billionaire godman and crony businessman and RSS/BJP supporter, has called for "denial of the right to vote and contest elections, against the third child in a family".

No doubt, population control is making a dramatic come back in India, and is on the verge of being put into policy, although the government recently committed to take no punitive action in this regard.

What shape this will take, nobody knows, but going by this government's record—but more importantly, that of its masters—it's reasonable to expect the worst. Some have already flagged this, particularly the question of islamo-phobia.

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Frontier
Vol. 52, No. 31, Feb 2 - 8, 2020