All sections of the populace must be brought on board harmoniously: Debabrata Saikia

POPULATION CONTROL

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia has asserted that the government may pursue a policy to control the population, but it is a sensitive issue and all sections of the populace must be brought on board harmoniously.

A statement issued by Saikia on Monday read, "A huge problem will arise if we apply different criteria for different sections of people to control the population. For example, Catholic Christians do not believe in birth control. Therefore, the Chief Minister should have stated that the Catholic Christians of Assam would be exempted. It is extremely unfortunate that instead of doing so, the Chief Minister has resorted to his usual practice of indulging in politics in all matters."

Further, the leader underlined that earlier Congress governments created the Human Resources Development department to convert India's huge population into an asset instead of a liability.

"Of course, there is no dispute about the need to control the excessive rise in population. Some people may recall that decades ago the Congress government had coined the slogan of 'hum doh, hamare doh' and this used to be emblazoned upon government buses in Assam. Therefore, it is wrong to portray that population control is a unique policy of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)," said Saikia.

Lastly, he stressed that the first non-Congress Central government could be formed mainly because of reported excesses committed in certain areas during the 'nasbandi' (sterilization of men) drive during the Emergency.

"That is why humanitarian considerations must be kept in mind and the reasons for population growth evaluated properly while taking the required decision," Saikia added.

Also Read: The truth behind Assam's population boom