Misleading to spread hatred: Tejashvi Yadav slams BJP over 'Hindu population drop' report

A recent report released by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has drawn attention to a significant shift in the religious demographics of populations across 167 countries from 1950 to 2015, including India. The report highlighted a notable decline of 7.82 percent in the majority Hindu population, juxtaposed with a significant surge of 43.15 percent in the Muslim population during the same period. 

The report has sparked reactions from both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition, with accusations leveled against the BJP of "spreading hate" and "cheating people."

Former Bihar Deputy CM and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav also commented on the report saying, "The census which was to be done in 2021-22 did not happen till 2024. They are only talking about misleading the people of the country and spreading hatred among the people. This is the agenda of PM Modi and the BJP, they want to cheat the people of the country again."

Titled 'Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015),' the paper also noted specific changes in India's religious landscape. For instance, the share of Jains in the population decreased from 0.45 percent in 1950 to 0.36 percent in 2015. Conversely, the Christian population saw a slight increase from 2.24 percent to 2.36 percent, marking a 5.38 percent rise.

Additionally, the Sikh population observed a noticeable uptick, rising from 1.24 percent in 1950 to 1.85 percent in 2015, indicating a 6.58 percent increase in their share. However, the Parsi population in India faced a substantial decline, plummeting by 85 percent, from a 0.03 percent share in 1950 to 0.004 percent in 2015.

The paper noted that a decrease in the share of the majority population and a consequent increase in the share of minorities suggests that the net result of all policy actions, political decisions and societal processes is to provide a conducive environment for increasing diversity in society.