Nagpur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel lashed out at the Centre over rising inflation, privatisation of Air India and new population control policy. The Chief Minister claimed that the BJP-led Central government has ended employment opportunities and is selling public sector units of the country. Taking a dig at Jyotiraditya Scindia, he said that the new Civil Aviation Minister is all set to sell Air India adding that both the 'Maharajas' are saleable.
Baghel said, "Seven years back Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to say that India is a country of youth as it has the largest number of youth in the whole world, but today the government does not have any plan to give work to the youth and you end up selling PSUs to private hands. The BJP government is following the policy of selling up everything."
Read:| Division in Bihar NDA over UP's population control policy
Slamming the two children policy, Baghel said that when the family planning campaign was being run in the 1970s, then it was turned into an issue in the 1977 elections. Had this campaign not been opposed at that time, the population would not have risen at this level, he added.
"The Central government is unable to provide employment and is distracting people by introducing a two-children policy. If BJP had not protested at that time, the population would have been controlled," the CM said. Extending support to Nitish Kumar's statement, he said that population growth cannot be controlled by law but by public awareness. Talking about the Uttar Pradesh Population Policy 2021-2030, Baghel said that BJP is playing card ahead of Assembly polls.
Read:| The more educated women, the lesser fertility rate: Nitish Kumar counters population control policy
He said that Chhattisgarh does not need law over population as it has the most ideal situation. "In Chhattisgarh, the population of 1,35,000 square kilometres is 2 crore 80 lakh and the state has the best gender ratio after Kerala. We do not need law," he added.
Political leaders are divided over UP's population control policy. On the occasion of World Population Day, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath released the Uttar Pradesh Population Policy 2021-2030 where any couple who would follow the two-child policy will receive perks from the government and will be able to avail all government welfare schemes.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also supports the population control policy by saying said that it is necessary to stop the increasing population.
Read:| UP population bill draft: Those with more than two kids can't contest local polls
