Giriraj wants couples with more than two children stripped of

Union minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday expressed alarm over the "population explosion" in the country since Independence and favoured disenfranchisement of those who sired more than two children.

The BJP leader from Bihar, known for making controversial remarks, shared a graphic on his official Twitter handle on World Population Day which showed that India's population grew by a staggering 366 per cent between 1947 and 2019 as against only 113 per cent rise in sparsely populated US.

Singh, the Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, wrote in Hindi--"In India, population explosion is disturbing the balance of economy, social harmony and resources. One of the reasons (for failure to check it) is dhaarmik vyavadhan (religious obstacles)," apparently hinting at Muslims.

Several leaders of the Hindu right have often blamed Muslims for the spurt in country's population.

Striking an alarmist note, the cabinet minister warned: "India appears to be heading like in 1947 towards another a 'saanskritik vibhajan' (partition in the name of culture). All political parties will have to come forward for a birth control law."