NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has warned over “inorganic
demographic variations
” in the country claiming that there was “intent to increase” the population to “secure prowess”. In an apparent attack on a particular community, Dhankhar added that there was an attempt of “orchestrated, financially backed misadventures aimed at effecting conversions”.
Making a strong appeal for unity, the vice president cautioned against engaging “in polarised, divisive activities” saying, “In this country that takes pride in its Sanatan values of inclusivity, where diversity is reflected in unity, we cannot afford to be distanced from these core values and engage in polarised, divisive activities. Time for us to fall in the groove of Sanatan Dharma, as enlightened by Shri P Parameswaran Ji.” Dhankhar, however, did not specify what those “divisive activities” were.
He further flagged demographic concerns claiming a conspiracy of “inorganic demographic variations”, calling out to “preserve the pristine demographic sanctity of Bharat.”
“Demography does matter. Demography should not be confused with majoritarianism. We cannot have a society divided into these two camps. The nation is faced with grim challenges when it comes to demography. The demography evolution must be organic, natural, soothing,” he said.
“Only then it reflects unity in diversity. However, if demographic variations are brought about in the nature of virtual earthquake, there is cause for concern. If inorganic demographic variations take place with the intent to increase demographic components with the object to secure prowess, then we have to be alarmed. This is noticeably being done. We are at a crossroads where we can neither overlook nor countenance this highly destabilising development. We have to be extremely alert. All have to converge to preserve the pristine demographic sanctity of Bharat,” he added.
Dhankhar, however, cited no evidence to prove the claim, as India is yet to conduct census to count its people. Meanwhile, the last census data contradicts VP’s claims and reveals that while India’s Muslim population grew at a faster rate than the Hindu population between 1991-2001 and 2001-2011, the pace of growth declined more significantly for Muslims than for Hindus over these decades. Among all major religious communities, Hindus saw the smallest decline in population growth, whereas smaller groups like Jains and Buddhists experienced the steepest drops.
Dhankhar warned that the influx of
illegal migrants
poses a threat to the nation and called for resolute action to prevent “demographic dislocations.”
“How can a nation suffer millions of illegal migrants? Look at their number. Look at the danger they bring to this country. I would urge that we must courageously thwart these demographic dislocations. They make demands on our employment, on our health, on our education sectors, and then become a factor in electoral politics. The unchecked flow is also threatening our culture. This is very urgent and has to be addressed. We are cliff-hanging. We must generate awareness. The mindset of the people must be activated,” he said.
Dhankhar was speaking at the fourth P Parameswaran memorial lecture in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on Sunday.
