Ashok Gehlot. Pic/AFP
Amid assertions by BJP-ruled states that they plan to introduce strict laws against "love jihad", Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said the term is manufactured by that party to disturb communal harmony. He said marriage is a matter of personal liberty and bringing a law to curb it is unconstitutional. It will not stand scrutiny in any court of law, he added. "Love jihad is a word manufactured by BJP to divide the nation and disturb communal harmony," he tweeted.
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"Jihad has no place in love. They are creating an environment in the nation where consenting adults would be at the mercy of state power. Marriage is a personal decision and they are putting curbs on it, which is like snatching away personal liberty," Gehlot said.
"It seems a ploy to disrupt communal harmony, fuel social conflict and disregard constitutional provisions like the state not discriminating against citizens on any ground," he added. Gehlot's remarks follow recent announcements by ministers in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh that they are considering enactment of laws to curb marriages for the sake of conversion. BJP leaders have alleged that Hindu women face "love jihad", or conversion in the name of love and marriage.
Stringent laws against 'love jihad' in UP?
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to bring in a stringent legislation against 'love jihad' cases on the rise in the state. The Home Department has sent a proposal to the Department of Law in this regard. The Law Department will work out the legal modalities after which the government is likely to issue an ordinance in this regard.
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