It has become something of a passion for Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi: the moment RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat speaks, he must reply. If Bhagwat says the sky is blue, Owaisi will swear it is green. If Bhagwat sneezes, Owaisi catches a cough. The script rarely changes.
This time, as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) gears up for its centenary celebrations, Bhagwat struck two familiar notes. One, that Indian women should ideally have at least three children to avoid a demographic imbalance. Two, that contrary to gossip, the RSS does not impose retirement ages on anyone—least of all BJP leaders—and at 80, he himself is proof. For the record, it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not Bhagwat, who gently escorted stalwarts like L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi into political retirement, creating the now-famous “Margdarshak Mandal.”
But facts are boring. For Owaisi, nuance is unnecessary. He jumped in with a flourish, declaring that “Indian women should not be burdened with three children.” At first glance, it sounds noble—almost feminist. But dig deeper and the question writes itself: Mr. Owaisi, do you mean all Indian women—or only Hindu women?
Because if that message truly applied to his own community, too, India’s population curve might look very different today. Let’s look at some hard numbers. India’s overall fertility rate has fallen to 2.0, just below the replacement level of 2.1. Among Hindus, it is already down to 1.9, lower than the replacement rate. Among Muslims, however, it stands at around 2.4. The gap may have narrowed over decades, but it remains significant enough to tilt demographics in several districts. From Assam to Bengal, from parts of Bihar to Uttar Pradesh, the Hindu population has dipped alarmingly in many pockets, while the Muslim share has risen. In some districts, Hindus have already turned into minorities in their own traditional homeland.
This is not a figment of the RSS imagination; it is government census data. And that is precisely what makes Owaisi’s statement so slippery. If he really believes Indian women should not be “burdened,” then surely, he must tell that to leaders of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board, which still clings to practices that systematically burden women—polygamy, halala, talaq, and selective application of Shariat. But of course, that would require political courage. Far easier to heckle the RSS chief.
And let us talk about the RSS, since Owaisi cannot stop talking about it. The Sangh today runs over 60,000 shakhas (daily gatherings), boasts six to eight million active swayamsevaks, and inspires tens of millions more through its affiliated organizations. From tribal welfare and rural schools to relief work during floods, earthquakes, and even the pandemic, the RSS is the world’s largest voluntary movement. Owaisi’s AIMIM, meanwhile, is a pocket-borough party confined to Hyderabad’s Old City, winning just a handful of seats even in Telangana. Yet its leader never misses a chance to punch above his political weight by shadowboxing with Bhagwat.
The irony is delicious. On one hand, Owaisi poses as a defender of women’s rights by rejecting Bhagwat’s “three children” suggestion. On the other hand, he refuses to confront practices within his own community that strip women of rights altogether. Feminism in public speeches, feudalism in private practice—that’s the AIMIM formula.
Let us be clear: no one is forcing women to have three children, just as no one can force Owaisi to stop issuing reflex reactions to the RSS. Bhagwat made a suggestion in a social context; Owaisi made a counter in a political one. But when the dust settles, the larger issue remains—India cannot afford selective morality when it comes to demography. The Hindu majority is shrinking in several parts of the country. For the only homeland Hindus have, that poses an existential question.
So, Mr. Owaisi, next time you mock the RSS chief, do us a favour: clarify whether you are talking about all Indian women—or only Hindu women. If you truly mean all, and if you dare extend your appeal to your own community too, that would be a first. Until then, your selective outrage remains what it has always been: theatre scripted in the Old City, performed for headlines, and dangerous for India’s future.
