'Running Jihad Of Producing More Children': BJP Leader Harish Dwivedi's Remarks Spark Row

BJP leader Harish Dwivedi sparked controversy on Thursday by claiming that a specific community is engaged in a “jihad of producing more children” to capture India’s political system.

Speaking to reporters in Basti, Uttar Pradesh, Dwivedi, without naming any specific community, stated, “The people of a particular community are running a jihad of producing more children with the intention of capturing the country. It has become very important to stop this.”

Dwivedi further asserted that this “particular community” poses a significant threat to the country, claiming that its members have “only one goal—to produce as many children as possible in order to capture India’s political system.”

Dwivedi, a former BJP MP and the party’s in-charge for Assam, claimed that “the people of this community are conspiring to defame the Modi government.”

“This community has done vote and land jihad and now, they are running a jihad to increase their population. They aim to capture the country through the political system and run the country according to their religion and Shariat,” he added.

Referring to a law recently passed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa, Dwivedi said that people in Assam will now have to inform the government of their religion and caste before getting married.

“After this law comes into force, the practice of marrying outside religion and at a young age will be stopped to a great extent,” he said.

“If this law is implemented in the whole country, then perhaps the ‘population jihad’ can be stopped to a great extent,” Dwivedi claimed.

In response to Dwivedi’s remarks, Samajwadi Party leader and former MLC Rajpal Kashyap accused the BJP of practising divisive politics, asserting that its leaders make such statements to distract the public from pressing issues like unemployment and rising prices.

(With inputs from agencies)