Expressing concern over the ever-increasing “demographic disorder” in India, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has said it’s a “disturbing pattern” that challenges the country’s values, civilizational ethos and democracy.
He compared its consequences to no less than a nuclear bomb.
According to reports, Dhankhar, while speaking at a programme in Jaipur, alleged that certain parts of the country are turning into political fortresses of “certain groups” where polls have no real meaning.
Some regions have been affected by this strategic shift, turning them into impenetrable strongholds where democracy loses its essence.
“It is alarming to see how some areas have been affected by this strategic shift, turning them into impenetrable strongholds where democracy loses its essence,” he was quoted as saying.
The Vice President also said that he was never concerned about “organic and natural demographic change” but he is “frightened” about the way demographic change is brought about in certain regions to achieve an objective.
“If this alarmingly worrisome challenge is not addressed systematically, it would escalate into an existential threat for the nation. I need not name countries that have lost their identity 100 per cent because of this demographic disorder, demographic earthquake,” the vice president added.
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The leader also alleged that India’s cultural heritage was being “attacked” and called for an “ideological and mental counter-attack” on forces that work against India’s interests.
“We, as a majority, are all-embracing tolerant, generate a soothing ecosystem and we have a counterpoint, written on the wall. The other kind of majority is brute, ruthless and reckless in its functioning, believing in trampling all the values of the other side,” Dhankar said.
“We, therefore, all have to work with passion, in a missionary mode to build a cohesive society that thinks in necessary terms and is not divided by factions of caste, creed, color, culture, conviction and cuisines,” he added.
Dhankhar, terming the politicians who do not hesitate to sacrifice national interest for petty gains, “champions of anarchy”, said, should be neutralized.
“We cannot be crazy for political power. Political power has to emanate from the people through a democratic process that is sanctified,” the VP added.
Concerns of changing religious demography in India
Recently, detailed research by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi (EAC-PM) pointed towards India’s changing religious demography. It highlighted that while the Hindu population has declined sharply by 7.8% between 1950 and 2015, the population share of Muslims grew by 43.15%, Christians by 5.38%, and Sikhs by 6.58%.
However, the population share of Jains and Parsis communities decreased in the last 65 years, equivalent to three generations.
The study was titled Share of Religious Minorities – A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015). It was released in May 2024. It was co-authored by Shamika Ravi, Abraham Jose, and Apurv Kumar Mishra.
As per the research study, the share of the Hindu community in India’s population decreased from 84% to 78%, while that of Muslims witnessed an increase from 9.84% to 14.09% in the same period.
Over the years, several experts, lawyers, bureaucrats, and politicians have expressed concern about the changing religious demography in India, especially in border states, North East India, and hill states. According to them, this leads to increasing rifts between the native population and people belonging to faiths that are ‘alien’ to the host country. They have pointed out the forced religious conversion, a sharp imbalance in the Total Fertility rate (TFR) of different religious communities, and an unchecked influx of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh including Rohingya Muslims as the main reason for the changing religious demography of the country.
