Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states after they propose to bring a stringent law to deal with the alleged religious conversion of women in the name of marriage, which BJP leaders refer to as “love jihad”.
The leaders of five BJP ruled-states – Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Assam – have promised to introduced strict legal provisions to prevent so-called ‘love jihad’ which refers to an alleged conspiracy to convert Hindu women by marrying them.
Reacting to the development, Baghel asked if the BJP leaders’ inter-faith marriages will come under the definition of “love Jihad”. “Family members of several BJP leaders have also performed inter-religion marriages. I ask BJP leaders if these marriages come under the definition of love jihad” news agency ANI quoted Chattisgarh CM as saying.
War of words between Congress, BJP over ‘love jihad’
A war of words ensued between the Congress and the BJP leaders after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot accused the saffron party of manufacturing the term ‘love jihad’ to divide the nation and disturb the communal harmony.
“Marriage is a matter of personal liberty, bringing a law to curb it is completely unconstitutional & it will not stand in any court of law. Jihad has no place in love,” he said.
Incidents of Love Jihad happening in country: Fadnavis
Responding to the allegations, former Maharashtra CM and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis earlier today said that incidents of `love jihad’ were taking place in the country, and therefore laws to curb the practice were justified.
“These are all pseudo-secular people…They think that attacking and abusing Hindus is secularism,” Fadnavis said. “Love Jihad is happening in the country and it was also acknowledged in Kerala where the BJP is not in power,” he added.
The BJP leader further said that it is the government’s job to frame laws when such things come to light.
Source: Times Now
