RSS chief Bhagwat made the controversial comment at a meeting of thousands of Hindu couples in Agra on Sunday where videos of allegedly growing Muslim population in Europe were shown. “Which law says that the population of Hindus should not rise? What is stopping them when the population of others is rising? The issue is not related to the system. It is because the social environment is like this,” the RSS chief said, addressing some 2,000 couples. He was responding to a question comparing the rates of growth of Hindus and Muslims in the country.

Agencies

NEW DELHI — The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) put out a clarification Monday after its chief Mohan Bhagwat was criticized and derided by various political leaders for his comment questioning “what is stopping Hindus from having more children”.

In a statement, RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya broke it down to three short pointers – “What Mr Bhagwat did not say – Hindus should produce more children. What he actually said – which law stops you from producing more children? What he intended to say – there should be a common law about population growth applicable to all.”

Bhagwat, 65, a bachelor like many others in the RSS, made the controversial comment at a meeting of thousands of Hindu couples in Agra on Sunday where videos of allegedly growing Muslim population in Europe were shown.

“Which law says that the population of Hindus should not rise? What is stopping them when the population of others is rising? The issue is not related to the system. It is because the social environment is like this,” the RSS chief said, addressing some 2,000 couples. He was responding to a question comparing the rates of growth of Hindus and Muslims in the country.

Bhagwat, said the RSS, only repeated what the organization had decided at a workers’ meet last year, that to tackle “severe demographic imbalances”, the population policy should be redrafted.