Inside The Capital: Demography changes: Centre’s new focus area

On October 10, Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed illegal infiltration in India as one of the biggest threats currently being faced in the country, while adding that the government would “detect, delete and deport infiltrators”.

Speaking at a media event, he laid emphasis on the changing demography of Indian population due to entry of infiltrators from both Pakistan and Bangladesh over the past several decades since Independence, and criticised the Partition which he said was done on the basis of religion.

He pointed out that since the census exercise was first conducted in 1951, the Muslim population had grown at the rate of 24 per cent, while Hindus had grown at a rate of 4.5 per cent.

This, he said, was not due to fertility rate, but due to infiltration, as Pakistan was on both sides of the country, referring to West Pakistan and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), adding that it led to demographical changes in the country’s population.

Demographical changes appears to be among the topmost agenda of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, and when Shah expressed concern over it last week, he was only echoing the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had first flagged the issue during his Independence Day speech two months ago.

During his August 15 speech, Modi had said, “Who are the infiltrators? Those who have not faced religious persecution, but want to enter India illegally for economic or other reasons are infiltrators. If anyone from around the world is allowed to come here, our country will turn into a dharamshala (shelter home).”

Modi had also addressed the importance of safeguarding India’s demographic integrity. He had warned of challenges posed by illegal infiltration and stressed on the need to protect the border areas and citizens’ livelihoods.

Most importantly, to address these concerns, the Prime Minister had announced that a high-powered Demography Mission would soon be set up, which would be ensuring India’s unity, integrity and security, tackling both strategic and social challenges.

Through this mission, the severe crisis now looming over the country would be addressed in a deliberate and time-bound manner, the Prime Minister had said, while informing that the government was moving forward in this direction.

Subsequently, Shah last week announced that a high-powered Demographic Change Commission would be formed soon, which would conduct a scientific evaluation of the impact of illegal immigration on Indian society, changes in demography, and pressure on the border management.

“This commission will give its report to the Centre, which I am sure will generate a lot of controversy. But saving democracy is the sole focus of our government and we are ready to face any controversy, while trying to save the culture of our country,” Shah said during last week’s event.

Changing demography has been a challenge, especially in the border areas, and though it has been silently acknowledged within political circles, with the Prime Minister expressing concern on it publicly from the ramparts of the Red Fort, the significance of the issue has not only been amplified, but it is likely to become a political issue, as hinted by Shah.

The Opposition led by the Congress is likely to point out that the Centre by announcing such a commission, may fan a communal divide, especially as the Home Minister specifically pointed out how the Muslim population had risen since Independence.

Also the BJP-led NDA government’s initiative of offering citizenship to “oppressed” minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, especially the Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis and Jains, has been seen as a move to ensure that there is no “imbalance” in population of the border states, which might lead to an increase in the number of members of a particular religion.

While the proposed Demography Commission is being termed as an exercise in academics, the political connotations linked to it are hard to miss.