Rajasthan BJP MLA's ‘4 begums, 36 children’ jibe at Muslims, Congress hits back

Rajasthan BJP MLA Balmukundacharya said population control law is a “necessity”. Congress said BJP's intention is “just to target Muslim community”.

Rajasthan Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Balmukundacharya has sparked a controversy after he targeted the Muslim community, without actually naming them, by saying that having “four begums and 36 children” is wrong. According to the BJP leader, population control law is a “necessity”.

Rajasthan BJP MLA Balmukundacharya

“There is a huge problem of increasing population. There is a particular community which has ‘char begum aur chhatis bacche’. There are countless such cases. This is wrong. There should be equal laws for everyone; otherwise, how will the country move forward?” the BJP MLA said in a video that is doing rounds on social media.

Speaking about the country's increasing population, Balmukundacharya said, “There is nothing wrong with the population law. The way the population is increasing, there is a need for more food and housing. This (population) is a hurdle in growth. If we want to become a prosperous and developed country, there should be a collective agreement on this, and a population control law should be made. It will be beneficial for all.”

He went on to cite an example of men having multiple wives.

“A sister came to my office and said she was the third wife of her husband, and now he was going to bring a fourth. I told her that now there is a law against it and she should go to police…It is not a matter of government or non-government benefits. The point is that in the country, some families say 'hum do hamare do', while some say whatever (birth) is happening, let it happen as it is God's will. There is a need to look into this,” news agency PTI quoted him said, as quoting.

This was the second remark by a BJP leader on population control in the last week.

Earlier on Sunday, urban development and housing minister Jhabar Singh Kharra said efforts were being made by the central government to ensure that those households that have more than two or three children do not get any benefits of the government facilities.

Congress leader hits out

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Harimohan Sharma hit out at the BJP leaders' comments saying that the ruling party's intention is “just to target the Muslim community”.

“A particular community is being targeted. If population law is to be brought, Congress would support it, but the BJP's intention is to target the Muslim community instead of bringing the law…The BJP government talks from a political point of view and from the point of view of targeting a particular community,” he told the media.

(With inputs from PTI)