KOCHI: The RSS has suggested that the Hindus should revisit their practice of "blindly accepting" family planning methods and start embracing big family norms.

This would help check the reported demographic shift that is happening in favour of minorities in certain parts of the country, RSS joint secretary Dattatreya Hosbale told reporters here on Saturday on the sidelines of the RSS national executive meeting here.

He said the 2011 census figures had indicated that the growth rate of children in the 0-6 age group was 15% among Hindus and 18% among Muslims. He suggested that each family should have at least three children.

Hosbale claimed that former RSS leader late KS Sudarshan had also suggested that Hindu families should have more children. "We don't have adequate number of youths to join our armed forces. The one-child family prefers their children to join sectors like IT."

Interestingly, the church in Kerala has also launched programmes to encourage the believers to adopt big family norms.

RSS has declined to parrot the criticisms levelled by BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi against Rahul Gandhi on the latter's remarks on Pakistan's links with Muslim youth in riot-hit Muzaffarnagar. "Rahul may have achieved that wisdom, but he must follow up his words with firm action against such terror elements," Hosbale said.

RSS has also sought to distance from Modi's remarks that India needed more toilets that temples. "We need both temple and toilets, and people do not feel there is any sense in fixing priority for one over the other" Hosbale said.