The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has urged the Union government to expedite the formulation of a new national population policy. On Saturday, 1st November, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale addressed reporters in Jabalpur after a three-day meeting of the RSS, saying the government should not delay in taking action to address what he termed “demographic imbalance” in the country.
#WATCH | Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh: RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale says, "…There are more volunteers of the Sangh in the BJP because the people of the BJP do not stop the entry of the volunteers of the Sangh (in the party); people of other parties do… The… pic.twitter.com/yJlkAZYomm
— ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2025
Hosabale explained that this imbalance is being caused by three main factors. He listed them as, “First are Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators. Second is conversion. Third is the high birth rate of some communities in particular.” He insisted that all three of these issues must be addressed together.
Hosabale said that although there are laws against religious conversions, much more needs to be done socially, too, in order to put a stop to them.
He made it clear that he believes population control is the government’s job; the government has spoken about it in public and inside Parliament. Stressing the need for speed, Hosabale said, “The sooner that population policy is implemented, the greater its benefits will be.”
His comments come a few months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a high-powered mission to address demographic changes during his Independence Day speech. The finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, also announced a high-level committee in her February 2024 budget speech to look into the challenges of population growth. However, there have been no official updates on either of those plans.
During the press conference, Hosabale was also asked about Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent call to ban the RSS. Hosabale dismissed the idea, saying you can’t ban an organisation based on somebody’s personal opinion. “There must be valid reasons to impose a ban,” he said. “If a leader says that an organisation working for the unity, security and culture of India should be banned, he must also state the reason.”
He added that those making such demands “should learn from past experiences.” This was in response to comments Kharge made on Friday, 31st October, when he said that it was his “personal opinion” that the RSS should be banned. Kharge had claimed that “most law and order problems arise because of the BJP and RSS.”
