Amritsar: The Punjab BJP on Monday lend support to officiating jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj’s call for increasing the Sikh population and his framing of the issue as a Panthic concern.The party, however, said that Giani Gargaj’s statement drew attention to another pressing issue — the religious conversion of Sikhs.Punjab BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh said, “The appeal made by Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, urging every Sikh family to have three children, is welcome from a religious, Panthic and social perspective.”He said it would not be appropriate to focus merely on increasing the number of Sikh children while overlooking what he described as large-scale religious conversions among poor and marginalised Sikh families, particularly in Punjab’s border areas.Sarchand Singh alleged that those involved in religious conversions had been able to operate unchecked and criticised the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s “indifferent approach” towards the issue.Giani Gargaj, while addressing a gathering recently, had said every Sikh family should have three children and that every Sikh who turns 30 should get married. He had also pointed out that Sikhs owned around 50% of the land in undivided Punjab despite being a majority in only two districts.“The jathedar’s statement assumes a political dimension when it refers to numerical strength. In a democracy, numerical strength forms the basis of political representation and power. Therefore, such arguments naturally acquire political implications,” Sarchand Singh said.The Punjab BJP spokesperson also referred to the Sikh population in Pakistan, claiming that it had declined sharply since Partition.He said the continued persecution of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan, including alleged forced abductions of girls, religious conversions and coercive marriages, remained a serious human rights concern.Sarchand also referred to appeal by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for Hindu families to have three children and by Damdami Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa urging Sikh families to have five children, citing India’s declining fertility rate.He said the estimated Sikh fertility rate of 1.6 to 1.7 children per woman was also a matter of concern. “The concern over the Sikh population is legitimate, but the real priority should not merely be producing more children. The Panth needs a generation nurtured in Gurmat values, strong moral character and quality education. These are the qualities that constitute the enduring strength of Sikh society,” Sarchand Singh added.
