HARIDWAR: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev asserted that in order to contain population growth, the government should bring in a law whereby third-borns should be bereft of voting rights. He also batted for a pan-India ban on manufacturing, sale, and purchase of liquor.
"India's population should not be more than 150 crores in the next 50 years as we are not prepared or ready to bear more than that. This is only possible when the government makes a law that third child would not be allowed to vote, neither contest election nor he/she enjoys any type of privileges and facilities given by the government," Ramdev said while addressing a press conference here on Sunday.
"Then people will not give birth to more children, no matter which religion they belong to," he added.
He also demanded a complete ban on cow-slaughter and said that it is the only way out to reduce the conflict between cow smugglers and "gau rakshak" (cow protectors).
"There should be a complete ban on cow slaughter and it is the only way out to end the conflict that we see between cow smugglers and 'gau rakshak'. For those who want to eat meat, there are several other types of meat which they can eat," he said. Further, he pressed for a country-wide ban on liquor.
"In Islamic countries, liquor is banned. If in Islamic countries it can be banned then why not in India? This is the land of sages. There should be a complete ban on liquor in India," the Yog guru said.
Ramdev also spoke about Patanjali Ayurved Limited's Managing Director, Acharya Balkrishna, receiving the 'UNSDG 10 Most Influential People in Healthcare Award' on behalf of Patanjali Group of Institutions in Geneva yesterday, and termed it a moment of pride.
"Acharya Balkrishna was invited to represent India. In the context of global health, how lifestyle diseases can be treated with Yoga, Ayurveda and traditional Indian methods, Patanjali has contributed towards this. So, Acharya Balkrishna was awarded by UNSDG. We are proud," he said.
Patanjali Ayurved is a company producing a range of Ayurvedic medicinal and personal care products, among other consumer items. Popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev co-founded the company along with Balkshrina.