Yes, the Population explosion is a threat to the Constitution

 The pre-Independence British rule in India has a definite influence on the Constitution of India. Nevertheless, India has adopted a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic system of governance. Madras High Court Justice GR Swaminathan recently said in a private programme – ‘If the Constitution has to remain the same, the demographic profile which existed at the time of the formation of the Constitution has to be maintained. Only when the demographic profile remains the same, the Constitution will remain the same. If the demographic profile changes, the Constitution will perish’. Having said this, in the capacity of a sitting Judge, he also expressed his limitation on saying more on this issue.

Many in the Judiciary may be having similar views; however, only Justice Swaminathan has shown the courage to express himself, fractionally though ! His words just cannot be ignored. The black coat he wears, places limitations on his assessments alright; but forget not, the survival of the coat is subject to the survival of the Constitution. All said and done, the issue of the existence of the Constitution raised by him calls for serious discussion.

The culture and traditions of a country have a definite impact on the laws, system of governance and Constitution of that country. Indian culture gives supreme value to the modesty of a woman, and hence, extramarital affairs are considered immoral in India. A chaste woman in India will embrace death; but will not compromise her modesty. However, in the western world, in the name of freedom of expression, extramarital affairs are the norm and are given State recognition too. This is an example of the influence of a Nation’s culture on its system. Hence, Britain as well as India have democratic systems alright; but the concepts followed in day-to-day life are different according to their prevalent culture. When culture changes, the system changes. This clearly means that if the population of the Nation which believes in the Indian traditions and culture reduces, or rulers who do not believe in it come to power, the Constitution can be harmed. In fact, the followers of Indian culture and tradition are none other than Hindus. This is not a question of hurting someone’s religious sentiments, but the naked truth – the culture going on since the days of Ramayan, Mahabharat is the culture of Hindus. Burdened with the yoke of so-called secularism, Justice Swaminathan will be branded a fundamentalist, should he even utter the word Hindu; however, this should not stop Hindus from reading between the lines.

The demographics of the population definitely matters

Halal certification is mandatory for establishments in India if they want to export goods to Islamic countries. While exports from the country require approval from the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra, Muslims started their parallel economy. Halal certification has not yet been made mandatory in India; because, our Constitution does not recognise it. However, Muslims started Halal certification in a manner that evades the existing laws. If the demographics of India’s population changes, it won’t take long for Halal certification to become mandatory in our country. Halal certification is just one example. If India sees a demographic change, the threat of Islamisation will arise in every field in our country. This is exactly the danger Justice Swaminathan wants to convey. Earlier, some Muslim organisations had sought permission from the Reserve Bank of India to start Sharia Banking services in Kerala. Therefore, in the future, only when the majority population adheres to Indian culture, will it be possible to reject the demands of Islamic Bank or Halal certification.

… will India remain Secular then ?

Justice Swaminathan wants to convey that if Muslims become a majority, the secular system will not exist; however, he cannot openly express this truth. For those who wear the garb of a secular system, speaking in this manner amounts to crossing the limits of the Constitution; but then one should not forget that the Constitution is for the survival of the Nation. Those who think that Muslims will accept the secular system even after becoming a majority should contemplate on the examples of the Islamic Bank and Halal certification. It needs no expertise of an astrologer to predict that India will be an Islamic Nation if Muslims become a majority. Some feel that those who say India should be an Islamic, Christian, Buddhist or Hindu Nation are insulting the Constitution; however, the so-called intellectuals should note that the concept of ‘वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्’ for the welfare of the entire Earth has existed in our Nation when the concept of secularism had not even been conceived !