Modi’s panel ups the ante on Hindu-Muslim debate with new report
After 10 years of being in power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to pitch divisive Hindu-Muslim narratives at public meetings, sharpening his rhetoric, while seeking a third term in office. While very few reports have come to light from the PMO, his economic panel has now added fuel to the fire by releasing a report citing the depreciation of Hindus and the boom of the Muslim populace between 1950 and 2015.
A recent working paper by the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) revealed, as reported by the news agency PTI, that between 1950 and 2015, the Hindu population in India decreased by 7.82 per cent while the Muslim population increased by 43.15 per cent. This suggests a conducive environment for diversity in the country.
The paper, titled ‘Share of Religious Minorities: A Cross-Country Analysis (1950-2015)’, also noted a decrease in the share of Jains from 0.45 to 0.36 per cent during the same period.
According to the same paper, the share of Christians increased by 5.38 per cent, from 2.24 to 2.36 per cent, and of Sikhs by 6.58 per cent, from 1.24 to 1.85 per cent, between 1950 and 2015.
However, the Parsi population experienced a significant 85 per cent decline, reducing from 0.03 per cent in 1950 to 0.004 per cent in 2015.
The data indicates a nurturing environment for diversity in society. The report suggests that promoting better life outcomes for disadvantaged sections requires societal support and a nurturing environment. The decrease in the majority population’s share and the increase in minorities’ share reflect efforts towards fostering diversity in society.
The paper highlights India’s remarkable decline in the share of the majority religious denomination, contrasting with trends in neighbouring countries where minority populations have shrunk. It also notes the tendency for minority populations from neighbouring countries to seek refuge in India during times of duress.
The Population Fund of India (PFI), a well-known non-government organisation that advocates population health and development strategies, has called the panel’s interpretation “misleading and baseless” and has advised people not to engage with them.
Its executive director told The Telegraph newspaper that “the media’s selective portrayal of data to highlight the increase in the Muslim population is an example of misrepresentation that has ignored broader demographic trends”.
Citing census data, the PFI said that the decadal growth rate for Muslims had decreased from 32.9 per cent between 1981 and 1991 to 24.6 per cent between 2001 and 2011, as compared to 22.7 per cent to 16.8 per cent over the same periods for Hindus, which is much less.
The PFI also underscored the association between fertility rates and education and income, saying that the total fertility rate (TFR) is declining among all religious groups and the steepest decrease in the TFR from 2005-06 to 2019-21 was among Muslims—by 1 percentage point—while it was 0.7 percentage points among Hindus.
