Carrying forward the debate on Yogi Adityanath's population policy, the Christian community in Lucknow has expressed its reservations about it.

In a statement, Bishop of the Diocese of Lucknow, Father Gerald J Mathias said that the Christian community had strong reservations about the proposed population policy.

"Experts have proved that the so-called population explosion is a myth and that it is not true that we do not have enough economic resources to sustain the population," he said.

Reacting to statements of the government on marriage and family planning, he said that these are sacred institutions that need to be respected and protected.

"The decision regarding family planning, spacing and number of children are personal prerogatives and rights of a married couple. Any force or coercion to bring about a reduction in the number of children goes against the very basic creed of human conscience. Any attempt to give incentives, particularly disincentives like no-government jobs, no promotions, no subsidy, reduction in ration card units, bar on contesting elections, is tantamount to coercion and intimidation of the person,' he said.

Father Mathias mentioned about the 'sad and unhappy' experience of China that initially tried to curb its population and is now encouraging more children.

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