“In the Muslim religion, you know that people keep 50 wives and give birth to 1,050 children. This is not a tradition but an animalistic tendency. In society, giving birth to only two or four children is normal,” Indian news agency ANI quoted Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Surendra Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Ballia District as saying.
The minister's concern over India's growing population didn't go over well with some netizens who slammed him for the provocative remarks.
However, the BJP legislator also found support from another section of Twitterati who felt that he was actually bringing up an issue worth pondering, albeit in an exaggerative and or inappropriate manner.
The leader, however, is not new to controversies. Last year, he said that every Hindu couple must have at least five children, for the sustenance of Hindutva.