Modi's clarion call for population control draws praise from BJP leaders

New Delhi, Aug 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi equated efforts to control population and planning for small families to patriotism during his Independence Day speech. BJP's Sanjeev Balyan, who had introduced a private member's bill in the Lok Sabha seeking a law on checking population, thanked the Prime Minister for speaking about population explosion in his speech.

Union minister Giriraj Singh also applauded Modi for his stress on checking rising population, saying it will "definitely happen" now. Singh said this in a tweet, which also have photos of him hugging cabinet colleague Sanjeev Balyan. Balyan said it should not be linked with any caste or religion.

BJP leaders today hailed Prime Minister Modi's speech on the occasion of Independence Day, saying it was "inspiring" and reflected his resolve to build a new India.

BJP working president J P Nadda praised Modi's speech and said it was a "very inspiring" speech. Nadda, who later unfurled the national flag at the BJP headquarters here, said the country had taken a leap under Modi's leadership with the hope of becoming one of the developed nations in the world.

"India's population is increasing rapidly and we should do something as early as possible. Checking population growth is essential for welfare of countrymen and development of the country," he said.