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Chief minister M K Stalin on Sunday urged newly married couples to restrict the number of children they may have to one or two, saying that the union and state governments are working extensively to implement family planning and healthcare policies.
Stalin was speaking at a mass wedding in Chennai organised by Tamil Nadu’s department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE). As many as 31 couples were married in Chennai and 217 across the state.
“I have a request to the newly married couples. Stop with one or two children that you may have,” Stalin said. “Union and state governments are spending a lot on family planning and conducting awareness campaigns…This is for the benefit of the nation and families.”
In jest, the chief minister also said that he saw an advertisement that wondered why we need a child when we ourselves are children.
Stalin’s statement comes at a time when the BJP-led union government has said earlier this year that no law is needed to restrict couples from having more children as a population control measure as public awareness campaigns were working well. Some BJP leaders, including Union minister Giriraj Singh and MP Ravi Kishan, have been demanding a legislation for population control but minister of state for health Bharati Pravin Pawar informed the Rajya Sabha in July that the government seeks to stabilise population by 2045 through its on-going efforts.
Stalin urged the couples to name their children in Tamil and to follow equality within their homes, a core tenet of social justice which he said is the Dravidian model. He also heaped praises on the work done by HR&CE minister Sekar Babu saying that there are a few forces who are trying to use religion as a political weapon in the state.
“Some people are unable to tolerate the various welfare measures taken by the HR&CE department. So they are trying to malign the DMK government,” Stalin said. “Whether it is a monarchy or democracy, temples are for the people. Temples are not anyone’s personal property. It was only to change that, the (HR&CE) department was created during the Justice Party rule.”
Stalin recalled the contributions made by his father and former chief minister M Karunanidhi for temples. “Following him, today Sekar Babu is running the department true to our governance of the Dravidian model,” the chief minister said. “Those who do not have any issue to do politics are using religion, and if we ask them for evidence, they have none.”
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