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VHP Defends Demographic Study as Owaisi Warns of Targeting
A government committee is asking states for information about population changes in different areas.
It wants to study changes involving all religions, according to the VHP.
The committee is also asking about vehicles, land ownership, immigration and schools in tribal and border areas.
Asaduddin Owaisi is worried that the information could be used against Muslims.
He said the data might be changed to justify taking away their rights.
The VHP disagrees and says the study is meant to understand illegal immigration and unusual changes.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal accused Owaisi of misleading people.
The reports do not say that the committee has collected or changed any data yet.
The High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes has asked states and Union territories for data on religious demographic changes over the past 15 years.
The requested information includes vehicle registrations, commercial vehicle licences, land transfers, tribal-area encroachments and educational institutions.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the study covers every religion and examines illegal immigration and unusual demographic changes.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the exercise could be used to target Muslims and weaken their rights.
Bansal rejected Owaisi’s claims, accusing him of spreading misinformation and obstructing government work.
- Who
- The High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes, the VHP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
- What
- The committee has requested data on religious, demographic, transport, land and educational changes, prompting opposing reactions.
- Where
- Across Indian states and Union territories, including districts, industrial clusters, border districts and tribal areas.
- When
- The committee is examining changes over the last 15 years; the dispute was reported on September 30.
- Why
- The VHP says the study aims to examine illegal immigration and unusual demographic changes, while Owaisi fears it could be used to target Muslims.
Owaisi's Concerns
VHP's Defense
Purpose of the study
Owaisi's Concerns
Asaduddin Owaisi said the exercise is not intended to create better policies from data and could instead be used to target Muslims.
VHP's Defense
Vinod Bansal said the study covers every religion and is intended to examine illegal immigration and unusual demographic changes.
Treatment of data
Owaisi's Concerns
Owaisi warned that data could be twisted or distorted to justify taking away Muslims' rights.
VHP's Defense
Bansal argued that no data had yet been collected or altered, so Owaisi had no basis for claiming it would be distorted.
Political impact
Owaisi's Concerns
Owaisi's criticism presents the exercise as a possible threat to Muslims' rights.
VHP's Defense
Bansal accused Owaisi of spreading misinformation and obstructing government work.
Key facts
- Committee
- High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes under the Union home ministry
- Study period
- The last 15 years
- Requested data
- Religious demographic changes, vehicle registrations and commercial vehicle licences
- Land-related information
- Property transfers, illegal transfers and encroachment of tribal land
- Education-related information
- Government, aided, private and religious institutions established in tribal areas
- VHP position
- The exercise covers every religion and studies illegal immigration and unusual demographic changes
- Owaisi's position
- The exercise could distort data, target Muslims and threaten their remaining rights
Quotes
Asaduddin Owaisi
AIMIM chief and Hyderabad Member of Parliament
“These are the same people who spread lies in the Muslim society about the ban on triple talaq and incited people against the court verdict on the Ram temple, spread the lie that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act would take away the citizenship of Muslims and are now obstructing government work and provoking extremists.”
theprint.in
“The agenda of this commission is not to formulate better policies based on the foundation of data, but rather to twist and distort the data in such a way that Muslims can be targeted and even their remaining scraps of rights can be snatched away from them.”
theprint.in
Sources
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