The bills will follow similar measures introduced in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Assam. (File)
Several BJP members are prepping to push for a national population control law through private members' Bills in the monsoon session of parliament beginning next week.
Sources say the Bills, which follow similar measures introduced in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Assam - may be taken up in this session.
BJP MPs like Rakesh Sinha and Anil Aggarwal are among those who have put in notice to table Bills related to population control.
One of them could be taken up in the Rajya Sabha on August 6, say sources.
These efforts have been revealed close after the Uttar Pradesh government announced a draft law for population control on Saturday.
The Bill says that those who have more than two children should not be granted any special concessions or benefits and should be barred from using official perks.
It also seeks to ban people with more than two children from contesting local body elections, applying for government jobs and receiving any kind of government subsidy.
UP's draft Bill also bans promotions in government jobs for those who have more than two children and gives incentives to those with one or two children but not more.
Opposition parties have accused the BJP government of trying to stir a controversy ahead of the UP election next year. The Congress calls it "political agenda". The Samajwadi Party says it's the "murder of democracy" and some of its MPs allege that it is a conspiracy against Muslims.
In Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has urged Muslims to cooperate in bringing down the population. He has also teased a "big announcement" on voluntary sterilisation and other population control measures in the assembly session starting this week.
BJP sources link these measures to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech on August 15, 2019, in which he expressed concern over population explosion in the country. "India was the first country in the world to adopt family planning, a program for which was formed in 1949. The first family planning program was launched in 1952. In 1977, the government had formed a new population policy. People were given the option to accept it voluntarily. Now we are seeing that by 2024-25, India will leave China behind in terms of population. India's population is 135 crore, while that of China is 142 crore. In terms of population, India will leave China behind in just a few years," he had said.
A private member's Bill is introduced by MPs and not the government, and mostly serves to draw attention to any subject that may need legislation.
The BJP does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha, which means any MP has to rely on friendly parties to help pass a Bill.
In India, only 14 private members' Bills have become law and after 1970, no such Bill has made it.