Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said families in India should ideally have three children, stressing that population growth must be “carefully managed” to ensure demographic balance.
“Population is both an asset and a potential burden. It needs to be managed carefully, which is why population policies are recommended. India's policy on population suggests 2.1 children, which means three children in a family. Ideally, families should have three children, but not more,” Bhagwat said.
He noted that while India’s overall birth rate is declining, the fall is sharper among Hindus. “Other communities’ growth has not decreased as much, though their growth is also declining,” he added.
Bhagwat also dismissed speculation that the RSS interferes in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s internal affairs, stressing that the two organisations share the same larger goal but function independently.
“We are having good coordination with every government, both state and central. But there are systems which have some internal contradictions. There is no quarrel anywhere,” Bhagwat said. “The goal is the same, which is the good of our country.”
He underlined that the Sangh’s support is not limited to the BJP. “We help everyone, not just BJP. If Opposition parties need our assistance in doing good work, there is no resistance from our side, but if the other side has reservations, we respect that,” he added.
On the delay in choosing a new BJP president, he said, “We do not have to say anything. Does RSS decide everything? This is completely wrong. This cannot happen at all. I have been running the Sangh for many years, and they are running the government. Therefore, we can only give advice, not make a decision.”
