BJP leaders hail PM's speech, applaud him for advocating population control

BJP leaders on Thursday hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on the occasion of Independence Day, saying it was "inspiring" and reflected his resolve to build a new India.

Some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and Union ministers described Modi's suggestion of keeping families small as an "act of patriotism".

BJP working president J P Nadda praised Modi's speech and said it was a "very inspiring" speech.

Nadda, who later unfurled the national flag at the BJP headquarters here, said the country had taken a leap under Modi's leadership with the hope of becoming one of the developed nations in the world.

Union minister Giriraj Singh applauded Modi for his stress on checking rising population, saying it will "definitely happen" now. Singh said this in a tweet, which also have photos of him hugging cabinet colleague Sanjeev Balyan.

Incidentally, Balyan had introduced a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha seeking a law on checking population.

Thanking Modi for speaking about population explosion in his speech, Balyan said it should not be linked with any caste or religion.

"India's population is increasing rapidly and we should do something as early as possible. Checking population growth is essential for welfare of countrymen and development of the country," he said.