Stalin Advises Couples To Abide By Population-Control Measures

According to Chief Minister M K Stalin, the union and state governments are working hard to execute family planning and healthcare programmes. On Sunday he urged newlyweds to limit the number of children they may have to one or two. Stalin was speaking at a large wedding in Chennai that the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department of Tamil Nadu had organised (HR&CE). Up to 31 couples were wed in Chennai, and 217 were wedded throughout the state.

The chief minister also made light of an advertisement that asked why we need children when we are already parents. Stalin's remarks coincide with the BJP-led union government's earlier assertion that there was no need for legislation to prevent couples from having additional children as a population control tool because public awareness initiatives were successful.

The Rajya Sabha was informed in July by Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar that the government aims to stabilise the population by 2045 through its ongoing efforts. However, some BJP leaders, including Union Minister Giriraj Singh and MP Ravi Kishan, have been calling for legislation for population control.

Stalin urged the couples to name their children in Tamil and to practise equality in their homes, both of which he claimed were central tenets of the Dravidian model of social justice. Additionally, he praised HR&CE Minister Sekar Babu's efforts, stating that a few groups are attempting to use religion as a political tool in the state.

Furthermore, Stalin mentioned the tributes to temples that his father and the late chief minister M. Karunanidhi had given.