Nitish Kumar's Party Lists Objections On Proposed Population Control Law

JD(U) leader KC Tyagi said it would be wrong to assume and propagate that any Muslim-dominated area will have a higher population.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United today signalled its contrary stand on population control by law, a path some of the BJP-ruled states are taking. Calling the law "coercive", senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi pointed out that last year, the Centre,  in an affidavit to the Supreme Court, said the country's population has "dipped for the first time in the last 100 years and it is not necessary to enact a separate coercive law". Yesterday, Mr Kumar -- whose state has a chunk of Muslim population -- made his stance clear, declaring that women's education is the way forward in this matter. Today Mr Tyagi said it would be wrong to assume and propagate that any Muslim-dominated area will have a higher population. "Former Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi has said in his book that the fertility rate in 100 per cent Muslim dominated areas of Lakshadweep, Kerala and Srinagar division is 1.4 per cent while in Uttar Pradesh the fertility rate is 2.4 per cent," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.