"Poor usually have more kids than rich": AIMIM leader Akhtarul Iman

Kishanganj (Bihar) [India], April 26 : AIMIM candidate from Kishanganj, Akhtarul Iman raked up the issue of the Muslim population growth rate in the constituency and said that the poor usually have more kids than the rich because they don't know about family planning.
"Mahlo me bachhe do hote hai, footpath par bachhe 6 hote hai (Poor usually have more kids than rich). Poor people don't know about family planning, they consider their children as an asset. Most of the people of Kishanganj live in a hut because of poverty, that's why the fertility rate increased in Kishanganj," Iman said.
He said that the growth of the Muslim population in Kishanganj was caused due to delimitation.
"Before the delimitation, Muslim dominated assembly constituency. Baisi was not part of the Kishanganj constituency and earlier Kursha Kata Palashi assembly constituency was in Kishanganj. That's why the Muslim population increased in the Kishanganj constituency," he added.
He further said that the fertility rate of minorities has decreased as per the data.
"Although the fertility rate of minorities has decreased as per the data. If our population increases, it bothers the BJP. As per economists, poor people have more children," the AIMIM leader said.
He said that it's a serious concern that Home Minister Amit Shah has raised the issue of increasing population in Kishanganj.
"It's a very serious concern that our Home minister has raised this issue that the fertility rate of Seemanchal has been increased and it's true because of outsiders who came from Bangladesh illegally and somehow managed to make identity cards that's why minority voters have been increased," Iman told ANI.
He also raised the issue of rising unemployment, malnutrition, and infant mortality in Kishanganj, adding that all these rates are highest in Seemanchal, making the region backward.
"In 2004 when Shahnawaz Hussain won the election. That time approx voters were nine lakhs and now the total voters have eighteen lakhs and within five years four lakhs voters have been increased", he added.
Amit Kumar Gupta, a resident of Kishanganj said, "Muslim voters have increased within fifteen years. Because the boarding districts from Bangladesh and Nepal are very close to Kishanganj. Due to vote bank people coming easily from those areas and they easily get all documents of residence".
"Kishanganj is the backward district of Bihar. Hindus live at Kishanganj headquarters and there is no industry and scope in Kishanganj, that's why Hindu people migrated from here. For that reason, the Hindu population is decreasing day by day and the Muslim population is increasing and they prefer to live among them," he added.
Another resident of Kishanganj, Suresh Kumar said, "As per the record, the Hindu population is twenty per cent but what I consider is that the Hindu population decreased and now came at fifteen per cent. People come from Bangladesh and get indignity easily because of vote bank politics".
Kishanganj is the only district of northeast Bihar where the Muslim population is over 68 per cent. Among the four Seemanchal (border) districts of northeastern Bihar (Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj and Purnea), Kishanganj has the highest Muslim population. It shares a border with Bangladesh and West Bengal.
It was also the only parliamentary seat that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
Parliamentary elections in Kishanganj will take place in Phase 2 on April 26 as announced by the Election Commission of India on March 16.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mohammad Jawed of Congress emerged victorious by securing 33.32 per cent of the votes polled. He won against Mahmood Ashraf of JD(U) who managed to secure 30.19 per cent of the votes polled.
Key candidates who would be contesting for this seat include Mohammad Jawed from Congress and Mujahid Alam from JD(U). The former is a part of the Mahagathbandhan alliance while the latter is a part of the BJP-led NDA bloc.