Bihar alliance partners disagree over population control law

The BJP and NDA seem to disagree over the population control strategy in Bihar. Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said those who have more than two children should not be allowed to contest panchayat elections.

However, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said a law on population control would not serve any purpose. He added that educating girls and women will bring down the fertility rate. "Only through education and awareness, the fertility rate be checked".

The CM claimed the fertility rate in Bihar has come down from 4% to 3%. "It all happened because of our consistent effort of educating women and girls in the state. I hope that it will further come down to two% in the next four-five years".

The Chief Minister was responding to Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Prahlad Patel's comment that the Union Government is planning to bring a law to control the population.

BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi reacted to the CM's claims and admitted that the promotion of education among girls over the last 15 years had resulted in the fertility rate dropping from 4 to 2.98%. However, he added that incentives and benefits linked to compliance would work better rather than enforcement.

State BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal disagreed with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said awareness and women's education couldn't solve the issue of population growth. He added that it has affected the growth of the state.

He wrote on social media that Bihar's population density of 1,224 people per square km is nearly three times the national average of 464. "There is an urgent need for new schemes and incentives for population control".

BJP is a principal ally of the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government.