NEW DELHI, April 10 - AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal has objected to the draft State Population Policy in Assam describing it as undemocratic and violation of the fundamental rights of citizens.
Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Ajmal said that birthrate with more than two children is mostly found among Muslims and scheduled caste (SC) and scheduled tribe (ST) people. Such approach will affect a large number of Muslims, SC/ST people and the poor, depriving them from availing their fundamental right, he asserted.
Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma released the draft population policy yesterday, which envisages to disincentives those with more than two children, rendering their participation in the government illegal, besides making them ineligible to contest in panchayat and municipal elections.
Ajmal said on one hand RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat and BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj are encouraging the Hindus to go for multiple marriages and maximum children, while on the other hand, a BJP minister of Assam is trying to snatch the rights of poor people, who have more than two children.
The AIUDF chief demanded that the move should be dropped to ensure protection of fundamental and democratic rights of the people. �Poverty and illiteracy are the two main reasons for increasing population. The government should work for promotion of education, poverty alleviation among Muslims, SCs and STs and backward classes,� Ajmal said. �But unfortunately, the government is not taking any effective initiative in this regard,� he added.
Threatening to launch a massive campaign against the draft policy, Ajmal said the AIUDF will counter the move in the Parliament and Assembly and if need be, will approach the court, but �will not let Himanta Biswa Sarma to snatch fundamental rights of the poor people of Assam.�
