Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday targeted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over ‘love jihad’ and said that the word is manufactured by BJP to disrupt communal harmony of the nation.
Taking to the microblogging site, Gehlot in a series of tweet said, “Love Jihad is a word manufactured by BJP to divide the Nation & disturb 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 further said, “They are creating an environment in the nation where consenting adults would be at the mercy of state power. Marriage is a personal decision & they are putting curbs on it, which is like snatching away personal liberty.”
“It seems a ploy to disrupt communal harmony, fuel social conflict & disregard constitutional provisions like the state not discriminating against citizens on any ground,” Gehlot added.
Various BJP ruled states including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have promised to bring law against ‘love jihad’.
The Madhya Pradesh government said that it will introduce Dharma Swatantrya (Religious Freedom) Bill 2020 in view of the rising incidents of love jihad. State Home minister Narottam Mishra said that the proposed bill has a provision of rigorous imprisonment for the period of five years for luring a person through fraud and forcing marriage by religious conversion. Such an offence will be non-bailable.
Meanwhile, In Haryana, the government said that a committee will be set up to draft a law against ‘love jihad’. State Home minister Anil Vij said that action will be taken against any person who is found “indulging in religious conversion by pressuring, tempting someone or is involved in any kind of conspiracy or tries to do so in the name of love”.
