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CPI(M) backs worker’s marriage after party leader’s ‘love jihad’ jibe
CPI (M) leader Thomas threatened to take action against Sheijin and said ‘love jihad’ exists in the state.
A day after Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) leader George M Thomas’s ‘love jihad’ remark over a young worker’s marriage, the party has pledged support to Shejin M, who married a girl from another community.
Last Saturday, Shejin, a Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) leader and local committee member of Kodencherry in Kozhikode and Jyotsna Joseph, a nurse working in a middle-east country, went missing. After this, Christian believers organised protest marches in the area, saying it was another incident of “love jihad.” However, the couple later appeared before a court on Tuesday and expressed their intention to live together, which the court agreed to. Thomas threatened to take action against Sheijin and said ‘love jihad’ exists in the state.
“It was a slip of tongue on the part of the leader. He realised the folly later and corrected himself. “Love jihad’ is a misnomer being floated by Sangh Parivar outfits. The party always encourages inter-faith marriages, and we are with the couple,” said Kozhikode district secretary P Mohanan.
The DYFI, a youth wing of the CPI (M), also supported the young couple, who were living in fear after many organisations reportedly threatened them.
“We always supported such marriages. We will protect them,” said DYFI state secretary V K Sanoj.
On Tuesday, Sheijin and Jyotsna told reporters that “it was true love, not jihad.” They said both would keep their religious identities intact. Shejin, hailing from the Muslim community, later said they were in love for some time, and he was scared to inform the party about his relationship. Jyotsna eloped with Sheijin two weeks before her scheduled marriage with another person from her community. Her family members later alleged that she was “kidnapped” by Shejin and his friends, but Jyotsna told the court and media it was a joint decision, and no coercion was involved.
Thomas’s utterances fanned more trouble for the couple. “Sad, this is happening when the party is getting closer to the Christian community. It is not a case of love jihad, but the circumstances behind the sudden marriage raise enough questions. We will seek an explanation from him and take appropriate action,” Thomas had said on Tuesday. He also said there were many instances of “love jihad” and the party studied the subject in detail. The CPI (M) leader’s sweeping comment shocked many, including his party men, who later distanced from him. Many activists asked the CPI (M) to explain its position.
“The CPI (M) says it is a progressive outfit, but its leader is giving a blank cheque to love jihad, a term coined by Sangh Parivar outfits. It is nothing but vote bank politics,” said writer and Muslim reformist M N Karassery, adding he never expected this from CPI (M).
Last year, when Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallaranghatt had coined the new term ‘narcotic jihad’, the CPI (M) was the first to condemn him. The bishop said Catholic girls and youth are becoming victims of ‘narcotic jihad’, and there were concerted efforts to wean girls from the community, and authorities turn a blind eye to it. Later, police registered a case against him for creating a wedge between different communities.
BJP state president K Surendran said the senior CPI (M) leader was silenced after he spoke the truth. “He admitted the existence of love jihad,” Surendran said. But the Muslim League said the CPI (M) was trying to create a wedge between different communities for cheap political gains. “The CPI (M) is giving enough fodder for Sangh Parivar outfits,” said party state secretary P M A Salam.
