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India’s Hindu group leader calls for three-child policy amid falling fertility rates

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The chief of India’s Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat
The chief of India’s Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, has urged Indian families to have three children each, warning of long-term risks linked to the country’s declining birth rates.

Despite being the world’s most populous nation with 1.46 billion people, India’s fertility rate has dropped below two children per woman, according to the UN Population Fund’s 2025 report, as the economy continues to grow.

Bhagwat, whose organization is the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, said the population must remain “controlled, yet sufficient.”

Speaking during a lecture marking the 100th anniversary of the RSS, he stressed that “in the national interest, every family should have three children and restrict themselves to that.”

His remarks highlight growing concern among nationalist leaders and some regional politicians over long-term demographic stability, economic capacity, and cultural identity.

Hardline Hindu groups have long raised alarms about higher birth rates among minority communities, particularly Muslims, though data shows that Muslim families in India are also having fewer children than in previous decades.

Bhagwat too said birth rates were declining across religious groups.

While the RSS officially describes itself as a cultural organisation promoting Hindu values, it wields enormous influence through its vast network of affiliates and millions of grassroots volunteers.

Many of Modi’s senior ministers, including the prime minister himself, are long-time members of the RSS.

Analysts say BJP’s policy priorities from cultural and education reform to citizenship laws frequently echo positions championed by the RSS, making the organisation one of the most powerful civil society groups in the world.

Bhagwat rejected criticism that the RSS was opposed to Muslims who make up about 14% of India's population and other minorities saying the organisation viewed all of them as Indians.

"Our ancestors and culture are the same. Worship practices may differ, but our identity is one.

Changing religion does not change one’s community," he said.

"Mutual trust must be built on all sides. Muslims must overcome the fear that joining hands with others will erase their religion."

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