Muslim population rise due to infiltration, not fertility: Amit Shah
What's the story
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has claimed that the rise in India's Muslim population is due to large-scale infiltration and not fertility rates. He made these remarks while delivering the Narendra Mohan Memorial Lecture on "Infiltration, Demographic Change, and Democracy," organized by Dainik Jagran. The Home Minister said that the decadal growth of the Muslim population in Assam was 24.6% in the 2011 census, while the Hindu population decreased by 4.5%.
Population dynamics
Shah links population changes to infiltration
Shah linked the population changes to infiltration from Pakistan and Bangladesh. He said that when India was partitioned, Pakistan was created on religious lines, which later led to the formation of Bangladesh. "Infiltration from both sides has led to such a significant change in the population," he said. The Home Minister also highlighted a sharp decline in the tribal communities' population in Jharkhand due to infiltration from Bangladesh.
Political exploitation
Political parties treat infiltrators as vote bank: Shah
Shah also slammed some political parties for treating infiltrators as a vote bank. He questioned why infiltration doesn't happen along the Gujarat and Rajasthan borders if it is a national issue. "Centre alone cannot stop infiltration. State governments protect such infiltrators as some parties see a vote bank in them," he said. The Home Minister also defended the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Policy defense
CAA not about taking away citizenship, says Shah
Shah clarified that CAA is not about taking away anyone's citizenship but granting it to refugees. He stressed there are no provisions in the Act to deprive any community of its citizenship. The Home Minister also emphasized that SIR isn't a political issue but a national one. He said infiltrators should not be included in voter lists, as it affects free and fair elections conducted by the Election Commission.