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NEW DELHI, INDIA November 11: Giriraj Singh after taking charge as Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in New Delhi.(Photo by Praveen Negi/India Today Group/Getty Images)
Union minister Giriraj Singh, who has a tendency to spark controversy with his off the cuff remarks, on Wednesday suggested a solution that would kill two birds with one stone -- address a population problem and ensure safety of Indian women.
The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises allegedly told a gathering at Bagaha in West Champaran that India needed to enforce a two-child norm for all religions. Worried that Muslims in certain districts of Bihar would soon outnumber Hindus, the MP from Nawada told the gathering that if India wanted to keep her daughters out of the veil, restricting the number of children to two in every family of all religions, is a must.
"Hindu ka do beta ho aur Musalmaan ko bhi do hi beta hona chahiye. Hamaari aabadi ghat rahi hai. Bihar mein saat zila aisa hai jahan hamaari jansankhya ghat rahi hai. Jansankhya niyantran ke niyam ko badalna hoga, tabhi hamaari betiyaan surakshit rahengi. Nahi toh hamein bhi Pakistan ki tarah apni betiyon ko parde mein band karna hoga. (Hindu and Muslim families should have two sons each. Our population is declining. Bihar has seven districts where our (Hindu) population has gone down. We need to change our population control policy. Only then will our daughters be safe. Otherwise, like Pakistan, we will have to keep our daughters veiled," the Indian Express quoted Singh as saying.
India risked losing the name 'Bharatvarsha' if the population policy was not reworked, the paper quoted him as saying.
Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian in the world with a net worth of $19.6 billion. He owns 41 per cent stake in Reliance Industries, which was founded by his father Dhirubhai Ambani. The company is India's biggest private sector firm, and operator of the world's largest oil refinery complex. Ambani next plans to create India's first 4G wireless network. He owns a $500 million home in Mumbai and owns the Mumbai Indians team in the Indian Premier League. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Billionaire Managing Director Dilip Shanghvi Interview(02 of09)
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Dilip Shanghvi is India's second richest man, with a net worth of $19.3 billion. Shanghvi is the founder of Sun Pharmaceuticals, India's biggest drugmaker by market value and the second-largest generic-medication producer in the world. He started the company with just two people in 1983; today it employs over 14,000. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
India Wipro(03 of09)
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Azim Premji is the chairman and largest shareholder of Bangalore-based Wipro, India's third-biggest software exporter. He owns a majority stake in the company. He transferred over $4 billion worth of shares to his foundation. He also owns PremjiInvest, which manages about $1 billion of his wealth, and invests in startups. He has also signed the Giving Pledge, the first Indian billionaire to do so. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Pallonji Mistry(04 of09)
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Reclusive tycoon Pallonji Mistry is fourth on the list, with a net worth of $16.4 billion. He heads the 143-year old Mumbai-based construction firm Shapoorji Pallonji Group. His son Cyrus succeeded Ratan Tata as chairman of Tata Sons. Pallonji's biggest asset is also tied to the same company, in which he has a 18.4 percent stake. He became an Irish citizen in 2003, but his major investments and businesses are all in India. (credit:imgkid)
Shiv Nadar(05 of09)
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Shiv Nadar, founder of HCL Technologies, and HCL Infosystems, is India's fifth richest person with a net worth of $14.9 billion. HCL Technologies is India's fourth-largest software exporter. He is also an avid collector and owns $85 million worth of art. (credit:Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Lakshmi Mittal(06 of09)
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Lakshmi Mittal is chairman and largest shareholder of ArcelorMittal, the world's biggest steelmaker. He is the sixth richest Indian in the world with a net worth of $13.6 billion. Mittal also owns 34 percent stake in Queens Park Rangers, the English Premier League club. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Gautam Adani(07 of09)
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Gautam Adani worth $7.1 billion, is founder and chairman of Ahmedabad-based Adani Group and the biggest shareholder of publicly listed Adani Enterprises. The companies are present in varied sectors such as coal mining, power, ports, energy, textiles and agriculture products. It also has a joint venture with Wilmar, the world's largest palm oil producer. Adani is a college dropout, and started as a diamond trader. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Uday Kotak(08 of09)
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Uday Kotak is India's wealthiest banker, with a net worth of $7.1 billion. He controls the Mumbai-based Kotak Mahindra Bank, with assets of $20 billion, that has commercial and investment banking operations, insurance and brokerage services. He is also the owner of Business Standard newspaper. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Micky Jagtiani(09 of09)
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Micky Jagtiani is the ninth richest Indian in the world with a net worth of $6.7 billion. Based in Dubai, he is the chairman of Landmark Group that operates retail stores in the Middle East and India and has franchise rights for international brands such as Steve Madden and Fitness First. Also has a stake in Debenhams, the second-largest clothing retailer in the United Kingdom. (credit:BCCL)
-- This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which
closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions
or concerns about this article, please contact
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