Adityanath warns of demographic 'imbalance', cites Census data

BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, who often stokes controversy with his remarks, has said that "high" fertility rate among Muslims could lead to demographic imbalance and cited the recently released Census data.

"The comparatively high fertility rate among Muslims will cause a dangerous demographic imbalance," he said while addressing a gathering at Yog Sadhna Yashvir Ashram at Baghra village last evening.

The Muslim community has registered a moderate 0.8 per cent growth to touch 17.22 crore in the 10-year period between 2001 and 2011, up from 13.8 crore, while Hindus' population showed a decline by 0.7 per cent at 96.63 crore during the period, according to the latest census data on religion.

Adityanath also raised the 'Love Jihad' issue, a term coined by some Hindu groups for alleged efforts to get non-Muslim girls to convert to Islam through love affairs and marriage, and linked it to the rise in Muslim population.

He appealed to "Hindu parents to teach their daughters about its dangers". The BJP leader also pressed for a Uniform Civil Code.

Adityanath said that terrorists of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are busy killing people but Muslim clerics have "not opposed" them.

The Gorakhpur MP said "the clerics should issue fatwa" against the terror group. Union Minister of State for Agriculture Sanjeev Balyan, who was also present in the meeting, claimed that "innocent" people were arrested in connection with the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.