Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh moots idea of common national population policy

MUMBAI: Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh suggested that there should be a common national population policy to help in determining how many children a family should have.

"We need to seriously think about the country's population. There should be a common national population policy which will define how many children one should have," RSS leader Dada Idate told reporters here.

Considering the geographical boundaries and the amount of resources and foodgrain production capacity the country has, there is need for such a policy, Idate stressed.

"The government should enact such a policy. Family planning is also needed," he said responding to queries on newspaper reports quoting RSS joint secretary Dattatreya Hozbale that Hindus should have three children.

Clarifying on the issue, he said that a question was posed to Hozbale on the views expressed by former RSS chief K Sudarshan regarding family planning.

"Hozbale said that it is not the only issue, there are other issues as well," Idate said.

He also said that RSS had no role in the appointment of Narendra Modi as BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

"RSS had no role in anointing Modi as the BJP's PM nominee. It's another thing that he has his association with Sangh. Political parties have their methodologies," he said.

The RSS leader also criticised the security arrangements at the venue of Narendra Modi's rally in Patna yesterday, where six people were killed and over 80 injured in five blasts in and around the rally ground shortly before Modi's arrival.

"We feel that strict security arrangements were not in place. We do not want to blame any political party for this," he said.