Need to maintain demographic balance; Ram Temple should be built at earliest: Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat Wedneday pitched for a policy to maintain demographic balance in the country, saying it should cover all sections of the society, beginning with those having more children but "limited" means for their upbringing.

Bhagwat presented Sangh's views on a number of contentious issue while answering wide-ranging written questions on the last day of the RSS' three-day conclave, including on matters like Ram temple, inter-caste marriages, education policy, crimes against women, cow vigilantism.

The RSS chief also demanded that the Ram temple in Ayodhya should be "built at the earliest". Supporting a dialogue on the issue, he said a final decision rests with the Ram Mandir Samiti, which is spearheading the campaign for the construction of a Ram temple.

A Supreme Court verdict is expected to come soon before the current Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra demits office on October 2.

Bhagwat also strongly backed the existing quota system for different communities, but said there should not be any politics on the issue.

He claimed there is an increasing acceptance of Hindutva, his organisation's founding ideology, in the world but anger existed against it in India due to various wrong practices which have crept in over the years. The Sangh is working to remove them, he added.

To a question about changing demographic balance in parts of India and the 'declining' Hindu population, the RSS chief said the matter of demographic balance is considered significant world over and it should be maintained here also.

"Keeping this in mind, a policy on population should be prepared," he said, adding that it should keep in mind the country's projected population in the next 50 years and its resources to deal with the number.

Once a policy is decided, it should be applied on everyone, not sparing anyone, he said, drawing a bid round of applause from the packed auditorium.

He added that such a policy should be applied first where the problem (of population) exists, "where there are more babies but means to bring them up are limited... If their upbringing is not good, then they will not become good citizens."