The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised concerns on Thursday, citing a study by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), revealing a decline in the Hindu population from 1950 to 2015.
According to the study, the share of Hindus decreased by nearly 8%, while that of Muslims surged by 43% during the same period.
In response, BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya took to social media, attributing this demographic shift to decades of Congress rule and warning that India would become “no country for Hindus” under their governance.
“Share of Hindus shrunk 7.8% and the Muslim population grew by 43%. This what decades of Congress rule did to us. Left to them, there would be no country for Hindus,” BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya wrote on social media.
Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya echoed similar sentiments, labelling the population imbalance as a “topic of concern” and blaming Congress for what he described as “Muslim appeasement” akin to the policies of the erstwhile Muslim League.
The study, authored by Shamika Ravi, Apurv Kumar Mishra, and Abraham Jose, revealed that the majority Hindu population’s share declined by 7.82%, while the Muslim population rose by 43.15% during the same period.
As per the 2011 census, India’s population exceeded 121 crore, with Hindus comprising over 79.80% and Muslims over 14.23%.
However, the next census, due in 2021, is yet to be conducted.
In April 2023, India surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing a public rally in Bhongir, Telangana, asserted that the BJP, if elected, would terminate Muslim reservation.
Shah accused the Congress of falsely claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi intended to end reservations, highlighting that reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes have remained unchanged under Modi’s leadership.
Shah also blamed Congress for allocating 4% reservation to Muslims, which, he argued, encroached upon existing reservation quota of the OBC.
