Fighting demographic imbalance: Hindus need to give birth to more children

Dr. Kalpana Bora

(kalpana.bora@gmail.com)

Demography all over the world, including in India and Assam, is changing faster than one could imagine! Markets, the labour sector, house helps, unorganized sector jobs, fruit sellers, vegetable sellers, rickshaw walas, taxi drivers, haat-bazars, and roads—all are flooded with these illegal immigrants (IMs). Agricultural lands are being cultivated not by the indigenous Assamese land owners, but by non-Hindu IMs. The other day, we saw in the media an encroacher challenging the Chief Minister of Assam, saying that “One day, we, the illegal immigrants, will throw out the indigenous people of Assam from your ‘Patta land,’ and our (IMs’) next generation will be living on your Patta lands.”

He was not only challenging the CM of Assam, but he was also challenging the whole “Asomiya Jaati.” This is what the indigenous Assamese people need to understand. Encroachment by Illegal Immigrants (IMs) is a stormy issue being faced by Assam today.

And a consistently decreasing Hindu population is going to aggravate this precarious menace, which could lead to a catastrophic situation soon! Demographic imbalance, decreasing Hindu population, and encroachment by non-Hindu IMs are interconnected. Let’s understand the gravity of this perilous situation with the help of science and real data. As per a new UN demographic report (2025), the birth regeneration rate (also known as Total Fertility Rate—TFR) of Bharat has fallen to 1.9 (below 2%). TFR means the number of children a woman is expected to bear during her lifetime. ‘Regeneration’ implies the renewal or replenishment of the population through new births. For a population to remain stable without migration, a TFR of approximately 2.1 is generally needed for the population to replace itself. As per census data of IIPS (International Institute of Population Sciences) published in Economic Survey 2018-19, TFR has reached below replacement level rate, as low as 1.6-1.7 in some states like Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh. Such states have more of an ageing population. Even high-fertility states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand have seen a sharp decline in TFR.

In 2024, a report of a study led by Dr. Shamika Ravi, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), titled “Share of Religious Minorities—A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015),” was published, according to which the majority Hindu and ‘minority’ Muslim populations, over the span of 65 years (1950-2015), in Bharat changed as follows:

Hindus—decrease from 84.68% to 78.06% (decreases by 7.82%)

Muslims—increase from 9.84% to 14.09% (increases by 43.15%).

“The share of majority religion in countries around the world has reduced by 22%, from 75% in 1950 to 53% in 2015,” the study said, and “India has witnessed the biggest decline in majority population (7.82%).”

Imagine what might have happened after 2015, during the last decade? Hindus have become a minority now in many states of Bharat. Decreasing Hindu TFR, forced conversions, non-Hindu IMs, and their population explosion are among some of the factors responsible. The Hindu population has decreased in all our neighbouring countries, like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, due to factors including genocide supported by radical forces and proselytisation to Islam and Christianity.

Changes in demography inflict social, economic, cultural, political, territorial, and religious landscapes of nations. Even if a check is put on illegal immigration across the border, what to do about their population explosion, who are already living here inside the country? There is no measure of population control among them, and their population grows exponentially. It also hampers growth and development of nations, because IMs only care about meeting their ends somehow and increasing their population. They don’t bother about good living conditions, good education, growth, and development! They not only cause demographic imbalance but also have been posing an existential, civilisational, and cultural threat to the thousands-year-old Bharatiya civilisation of Sanatan Dharma. IMs engage in all sorts of criminal activities, creating disturbances internally as well as at borders. This in turn poses a serious threat to the security and peace of the nation. Some of the infiltrators have been found to have links with foreign extremist groups—a threat to the security of the nation!

Assam is facing a grave danger at her doorstep. As per the 2001 Census, the Muslim population in Assam was around 30%, which increased to around 35% in the 2011 census. In the next census in 2027, this percentage is likely to shoot to at least 40 (maybemore!). The decadal growth of the Hindu population between 2001 and 2011 was around 16%, while the Muslim population grew by 29% during the same period. Environmental degradation is occurring due to encroachment of forest areas of Assam by IMs. Erosion occurs as illegal immigrant Muslims settle on water bodies. Encroachment of xatra land, government lands, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, vacant railway land, and village and professional grazing reserves of Assam has been a constant nuisance to indigenous people. Though eviction drives have been going on in Assam at least since 2021, very recently, when government officials and police personnel carried out an eviction drive as per court order in the Dhubri and Goalpara areas, incidents of violent attacks by encroachers on government officials and police personnel have been reported.

The young population of a nation reduces in percentage due to a decrease in TFR, and such ageing nations face many problems like a shrinking skilled and young workforce, increased healthcare costs for an ageing population, and strain on the economy. Savings and investments also reduce in size and may result in economic slowdown. Some of the countries most affected by ageing populations are Japan, Italy, Greece, Germany, the USA, Australia, South Korea, and China, which have started facing the blow already. The percentage of people above 65 years of age, as per data from 2020 (prb.org), was as follows: Japan - 28.2%; Italy - 22.8%; Greece - 21.8%; Germany - 21.4%; USA - 16%; Australia - 15.8%; South Korea - 15.1%; China - 11.9%; and India - 6.1%. As per data from IIPS (Economic Survey 2018-19), Bharat’s population above 60 years of age is expected to be 12.4% by 2031 and 15.9% by 2041. And we will be facing the problems being faced by other ageing nations of the world. The situation is more grave for Hindus, whose population growth rate is decreasing anyway!

What can we do? Efforts, not mere desires, lead to results and success. Take a vow to protect and save our indigenous people, culture, Dharma, and nation; be courageous. Act. The indigenous Assamese people need to be alert and aware of IMs encroaching on our lands and should immediately report it to authorities. Boycott illegal immigrants economically. Since Hindus do not do works that the society needs, they are encroached upon by IMs. The economy will be strengthened when all sorts of works/jobs are valued by indigenous people. Measurements must be taken to stop corruption to put a curb on illegal immigrants getting their Aadhaars, PAN cards, and voter IDs made. Forced conversions from Hindutva to Islam and Christianity should be curbed—Hindus need to be aware of their tactics and traps used for this purpose, love jihad and luring in the name of charity, education, and health services being among them. We see that these days, so many Muslim boys disguise their identity and project themselves as Hindu and trap Hindu girls for marriage, then forcefully convert them to Islam. More attention should be given to vulnerable and marginalised sections of society.

Hindus need to unite and be courageous—to protect themselves against the physical atrocities inflicted upon them. More Hindu youth should join the Agniveer Scheme—this will inculcate courage and strength amongst them. They need to unite against barriers of caste, language, Janjaatis (tribes), or any other factor of division—unity is the strength of a society, without which it becomes weak. Recently, some nation-breaking forces have started creating separatist ethos amongst Janjaati (Tribes) of Northeast India—beware of them. Fight against genocides.

If illegal immigrants keep on encroaching, we the Hindus need to increase our population to fight the demographic imbalance. Hindus should produce more children, at least three children per couple—especially true for the middle class. In Bhagwad Gita, it is said, “Considering your Swa-Dharma (duty) as a warrior, you should not waver.” Today, our youth are getting married at a late age, as they are busy making their careers and money. Many of them live in living-in relationships; many married couples also don’t want to bear children at all! This has contributed to a decrease in Hindu TFR and must be avoided. In our Vedas and Bhagwad Gita, it is said that Swa-Dharma needs to be fulfilled by all people for a healthy and strong nation. Swa-Dharma of us Sansarik people also includes regeneration of population, for continuity of civilisation. A comprehensive Population Control Act, uniform for people of all communities, is the need of the hour. Recently, the Rashtriya Hindu Front, the Assam State Committee, submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India calling for immediate enactment of the same at the earliest. A laudable step indeed.

(The comments are personal.