The findings of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PM-EAC) are alarming with dangerous consequences for India’s survival as a country of Sanatan culture. Those who would ignore this would do so at their own peril.
The report says that between 1950 and 2015, the population of Hindus declined by 8 per cent whereas the population of Muslims grew by 43 per cent. In 1950, Hindus comprised 84 per cent of the total population but it came down to 78 per cent in 2015. During the same period, the population of Muslims increased from 9.84 per cent to 14.09 per cent.
Those who are talking of the timing of the report want to mislead the nation. This is a crucial issue that affects the survival of the country in its present form. Election time is the right time to discuss how the country should be governed and what policies are needed to correct this imbalance that is sure to multiply if not addressed properly.
The country has witnessed the Partition and its aftermath. The Partition happened on religious grounds. Are we in a position to afford another division of the country? Even if the Partition does not happen, the rhetoric and aggressive statements of some Islamic leaders have the potential to create social, cultural and political conflicts.
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Islamists in India still hold on to the dream that a day would come when India would become an Islamic country. They still feel Muslims, who were once a ruling elite, would reclaim their position with an increase in the Muslim population. Madrassas have become the breeding ground of such thoughts that are antithetical to the very idea of India being a Republic.
Is it not strange that the majority in this country fear Muslim aggressiveness? The report indicates this fear is real. What took 65 years to transpire could happen in less than 25-30 years due to the unchecked population growth. The main reason for higher growth is rapid reproduction, illegal infiltration encouraged by vested interests and conversion.
The issues that concern every Indian (Hindu) is whether they can survive with their civilisational and cultural values under Islamic rule. The country has witnessed untold misery because of Muslim rulers’ enthusiasm to convert Hindus into Islamic faith. Entire Kashmir which was once a Hindu land of Hindu cultural renaissance has become Islamic due to this. We all know how infiltration has threatened the demographic composition of Assam and endangered the indigenous culture.
The experience of Hindus in Muslim countries has not been good. They have witnessed persecution and forced conversion and there are very few countries or rights groups talking about them. The plight of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh is too well known in the entire world. Luckily, they have India as their ancestral place to come and take refuge. The Modi government has made policies to give citizenship to such persecuted Hindus.
However, what will Hindus do if India becomes Islamic and they are forced to flee? To which country would they go? What protection or insurance do they have that the country would not be disturbed from growing as a liberal democracy? Hindus in this country faced violence and paid jizya under the Mughals to retain their culture and ways of worship.
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Let’s not close our eyes and lull ourselves into a make-believe world where everything will be okay, a world where we shouldn’t worry about a rising population. Despite being in the majority, Hindus have shown that they believe in democracy and have no problems with people practicing other faiths. But can the same be said about those who claim to be exclusivist and superior?
Our decision-makers must take a rational call on this.
The writer is the convener of the media relations department of the BJP and represents the party as a spokesperson on TV debates. He has authored the book ‘Narendra Modi: The Game Changer’. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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