E-Paper
‘Should interfaith marriages performed by BJP leaders be called love-jihad?’ asks Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel
A war of words over ‘love jihad’ began when Gehlot took to Twitter on Friday to say that the BJP has ‘manufactured’ the term ‘love jihad’ to divide the nation and curb individual rights of citizens.
A day after Rajasthan chief minister Ashik Gehlot said that ‘love jihad’ is a term created by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel said if interfaith marriages of BJP leaders will come under the same definition.
“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’,” the Congress was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
A war of words over ‘love jihad’ began when Gehlot took to Twitter on Friday to say that the BJP has ‘manufactured’ the term ‘love jihad’ to divide the nation and curb individual rights of citizens.
Gehlot also said that the marriage between two individuals should be a personal matter to those individuals concerned and the government has no part to play in it. The BJP’s Rajasthan chief Satish Poonia lashed out at Gehlot and accused him of ignoring “the plight of our daughters” and said the comments display his “small thinking”.
The row over ‘love jihad’ has gained momentum as several BJP-ruled states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are considering a ban on religious conversion for the purpose of marriage.
Several right-wing organisations believe ‘love jihad’ is a ploy to get more Hindus converted to Islam using love and marriage as a tool to lure Hindu women into marriage with Muslim men.
