CHENNAI — The Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), on Saturday, condemned the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his recent comments on the birth rate of Indian Muslims, accusing him of attempting to incite communal divisions ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
Shah had alleged that the increase in India’s Muslim population is due to “infiltration” from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In a statement, MMK president and Tamil Nadu MLA Prof. M. H. Jawahirullah said the remark was a “reckless and politically motivated distortion of demographic reality.” He warned that such rhetoric from the country’s top law-and-order authority could endanger social harmony and undermine the constitutional principle of equality among citizens.
Citing Census data and studies by the Pew Research Center and the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), Jawahirullah said India’s Muslim fertility rate has been steadily declining for more than two decades—faster than that of most other communities. He added that the community’s population growth has stabilised in line with broader socio-economic trends such as education, urbanisation, and women’s empowerment.
“To attribute this natural demographic change to infiltration is not only baseless but also an insult to Indian citizens who belong to the Muslim community,” the MMK leader said.
Jawahirullah also alleged that the timing of Shah’s statement, coming on the eve of the Bihar Assembly elections, showed an intent to polarise voters. “The deliberate use of terms like ‘infiltrators’ to describe a section of Indian citizens reflects the BJP’s divisive politics of fear and exclusion,” he said.
He reminded that as Home Minister, Shah’s primary responsibility is to safeguard unity and internal security, not to “stoke mistrust among communities.” Questioning the loyalty or citizenship of Indian Muslims, he said, violates the spirit of the Constitution and the oath of office.
“India’s strength lies in its pluralism, not paranoia,” Jawahirullah concluded, urging leaders to promote unity and mutual respect instead of division.
