BJP MP Urges Early Marriage and Five Children to Counter “Demographic Change”

BJP Lok Sabha member Gajendra Singh Patel, national general secretary, addressed a crowd at the Kalika Temple in Barwani after a Nav Durga celebration. He called on Hindu youth to marry in their early twenties and have five children each, arguing that delayed marriages and smaller families have lowered the community’s birth rate to 1.9 per woman, compared with 2.9 for “the other community.” Patel linked the trend to a perceived decline in Hindu population share since Independence and warned that only one of every four children born today belongs to Hindus.

‘Marry early, have 5 children’: BJP MP prescribes fix for ‘demographic change’ Hindustan TimesBJP MP Gajendra Singh Patel urges young Sanatanis to marry early, have 5 children

He framed the issue as a demographic challenge for the Hindu (Sanatani) community, suggesting that religious conversions are also reshaping the population balance.

Hindustan Times

• Birth rate for Hindus (self-identified as “Sanatanis”): 1.9 children per woman.

BJP MP Gajendra Singh Patel urges young Sanatanis to marry early, have 5 children

• Birth rate for the “other community”: 2.9 children per woman.

Hindustan Times

• Patel’s ratio claim: 1 Hindu child for every 3 children from the other community among the four children born today.

Hindustan Times

These figures are presented by Patel without independent verification in the source reports.

Hindustan Times

Patel urged the promotion of gyms and traditional wrestling arenas (akharas) to strengthen families physically and morally. He emphasized that devotion should be paired with the possession of weapons alongside scriptures. The MP positioned these cultural measures as complementary to his demographic recommendation, stating that a united “Sanatani” community would support each other rather than rely on political parties.

BJP MP Gajendra Singh Patel urges young Sanatanis to marry early, have 5 children

• “The situation was different between 1947 and 1967. But the population graph of one community has declined while that of the other has risen since Independence and the 2011 Census.” — Gajendra Singh Patel, national general secretary

BJP MP Gajendra Singh Patel urges young Sanatanis to marry early, have 5 children

• “Look at the circumstances at the time of the census conducted after Independence and compare them with today. Our growth has declined,” — BJP MP

‘Marry early, have 5 children’: BJP MP prescribes fix for ‘demographic change’

• “Earlier generations would have four, five, six or even seven children. People used to marry at the age of 20, 21 or 22.” — Gajendra Singh Patel, national general secretary

Hindustan Times

• “Out of four children (now), one was from the Hindu community and three from the other community. The situation was different between 1947 and 1967. But the population graph of one community has declined while that of the other has risen since Independence and the 2011 Census,” — Gajendra Singh Patel, national general secretary

Hindustan Times