THE 3-CHILD QUESTION

The RSS chief's concern over a demographic decline have turned the family planning conversation on its head. Do the proponents of larger families have a case to build on?

- Kaushik Deka

IT was a wintry afternoon on December 1 in Nagpur when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat took the stage and called upon Indian (Hindu) couples to do their patriotic duty - have at least three children. The RSS chief, known for his Hindutva musings and cultural prescriptions, painted a grim picture: "According to population science, when growth is below 2.1, a society perishes on its own. Nobody destroys it." He was referring to the total fertility rate (TFR), the benchmark for population replacement. At a TFR of 2.1, each woman on average would have two children to sustain the population at a stable level. With India's TFR now at 2, the RSS chief felt a demographic decline had to be averted-hence the call for larger families.

It may sound like fear-mongering considering India is the world's most populous country now, but the RSS chief's concerns are not unique. Far to the south in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has voiced similar worries, lamenting the potential consequences of a shrinking population. In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has gone a step further, contemplating legislative incentives to encourage larger families.

Behind these leaders' statements is a shared fear of loss, albeit in different domains. For Stalin and Naidu, the apprehension revolves around political representation and loss of funds. With parliamentary delimitation set for 2026-a process that will redraw constituencies based on population - the balance of power could tilt further towards northern states with higher fertility rates. Southern states, once lauded for their successes in population control, now worry about losing representation in the Lok Sabha. Revenue-sharing formulas tied to population metrics have added to the disgruntlement at being "penalised" for their achievements.