Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Sunday, 4 November said people who stay celibate, like him, should be honoured, but added that if people marry and have more than two children, their voting rights should be taken away.
His comments were greeted with applause by the audience in Haridwar, and he went on to say this was a “political” and “national” issue related to population.
He also added that while the decision of having several children had historically been a part of India’s traditions and customs at a time when the population was lower, it remained the option of those with the “resources” and “necessity” of doing so.
Baba Ramdev has earlier been in the eye of various storms for his outspoken comments on homosexuality and Dalits.
He was famous for claiming that yoga could “cure” homosexuality for years on end. In a screenshot of a Twitter reply that was published on The Print, he also pledged, in 2013 to launch a nationwide agitation if Section 377 of the IPC were to be repealed.
He also had to appear in a Hisar court earlier this year for his alleged comments in April 2014, about Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.
According to 2014 PTI reports, Ramdev had said, "He (Rahul) goes to Dalits' houses for honeymoon and picnic. Had he married a Dalit girl, then his luck could have clicked and he would have become the Prime Minister."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)