Buoyed by its large win within the Maharashtra Meeting polls, the BJP-led Mahayuti led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has repeatedly expressed its authorities’s dedication to enact a legislation towards “love jihad” or “pressured non secular conversion”. Nevertheless, the street forward appears to be marked with numerous hurdles as some Mahayuti allies in addition to the Opposition have expressed issues over the proposed legislation.
Fadnavis mentioned his authorities is just not towards interfaith marriages, however claimed that the cases of atrocities and fraud had been on the rise. “Nevertheless, the place marriages occur by way of coercion, utilizing false identities and with an goal of spiritual conversions and harassment, they must be firmly tackled by way of an Act,” the CM mentioned in Nagpur Sunday.
Undeterred by the opposition to the proposed legislation, the Mahayuti authorities – comprising the BJP, the Shiv Sena led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Occasion (NCP) led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar – has taken its first step towards “love jihad”, a phrase utilized by the suitable wing to allege a conspiracy by Muslim males to transform Hindu girls to Islam by way of marriage.
Consistent with its pre-poll promise, the Fadnavis dispensation issued a authorities decision (GR) final week stating its intent to enact the legislation to curb the “love jihad” circumstances. The state authorities constituted a seven-member committee, headed by the director normal of police (DGP), on this regard, which can look into the authorized provisions, develop a authorized framework and research related legal guidelines in different states like BJP-ruled Rajasthan, which tabled an anti-conversion legislation in its Meeting earlier this month.
Regardless of having the numbers to go the “anti-love jihad” legislation within the Meeting and transfer in the direction of implementing it, the Mahayuti authorities is prone to tread cautiously earlier than tabling the Invoice within the Home.
Whereas Fadnavis claims it’s a social subject, elevated stress from numerous proper wing outfits is seen to be a key motive for the federal government’s proposal to usher in an “anti-love jihad” legislation. Throughout 2022-2024, over 50 such outfits, together with the BJP, undertook a marketing campaign throughout the state in favour of the legislation beneath the aegis of the Sakal Hindu Samaj. Their rallies drew large crowds, resulting in intense communal polarisation forward of the final 12 months’s Lok Sabha and Meeting polls.
A powerful advocate of this legislation, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, BJP chief and state Cupboard minister, mentioned it was essential to examine cases of “love jihad”. “Such incidents are on the rise, particularly in Mumbai. There are numerous circumstances the place Hindu ladies have turn out to be victims,” he claimed.
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Nevertheless, a few of the BJP’s allies don’t appear to be on the identical web page. Whereas the NCP, which enjoys vital assist amongst Muslims, has been non-committal on the problem, the RPI(A) led by Union minister Ramdas Athawale has brazenly expressed its displeasure over the proposed legislation.
“We won’t make any hasty dedication on such a delicate topic. No person is towards interfaith marriages and that’s our stand as effectively. If crimes towards girls concerned in interfaith marriages are on the rise, they must be ascertained and tackled however we don’t assist singling out a neighborhood,” an NCP minister mentioned on situation of anonymity.
Sources mentioned the BJP has reassured its ally that the proposed legislation won’t be tabled within the upcoming Price range session of the Meeting because the get together is conscious that introducing it should give the Opposition an opportunity to spotlight the fissures throughout the ruling coalition. “The federal government panel can even require ample time to check related legal guidelines in different states,” sources mentioned.
Athawale, alternatively, was extra specific together with his dissent. “Terming interfaith marriages as ‘love jihad’ is unsuitable and unacceptable to us. The Structure doesn’t discriminate primarily based on caste, neighborhood and faith. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated a number of welfare schemes that are equally helpful to all. Then, why discriminate with interfaith marriages? If there are cases of crimes in such marriages, robust legal guidelines ought to take care of them,” he mentioned.
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An official within the authorized division mentioned that the proposed legislation would “easily go the legislative check”. “Nevertheless, it should get entangled in a authorized battle if anybody approaches the courts towards it. The federal government most likely desires to keep away from this,” the official mentioned.
The proposed legislation may additionally have a bearing on the civic polls, scheduled for later this 12 months the place all six main events – the three Mahayuti companions in addition to the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP(SP) of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – are prone to go solo.
In such a situation, the BJP would look to aggressively push its Hindutva agenda by way of the proposed legislation, particularly in Mumbai – which has sizeable Muslim pockets – to counter the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT), which has held the Brihanmumbai Municipal Company (BMC) for over three a long time. Together with the “love jihad” plank, the BJP can also be seemingly to make use of its different points like “land jihad” and “vote jihad” throughout its marketing campaign for the civic polls.
“We aren’t going to compromise on our stand on Hindutva. Bringing in a ‘love jihad’ legislation which doesn’t have authorized and constitutional validity would defeat our said goal. We have to guarantee satisfactory safeguards (within the Invoice earlier than tabling it),” a BJP chief mentioned.
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The MVA has claimed that the proposed legislation is “only a pretext adopted by the suitable wing to push its anti-Muslim agenda”. “As a substitute of worrying about marriage, which is a private selection, the federal government ought to concentrate on the financial system,” NCP(SP) MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, mentioned.
Dismissing the transfer because the BJP’s “proper wing rhetoric”, Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut final week accused the previous of indulging in “divisive politics”.
Congress chief Vijay Waddetiwar alleged that the BJP was utilizing “its politics of hatred to aggressively goal a neighborhood”.
Maulana Azad Manch chief Hussain Dalwai questioned the necessity for such a legislation. “Once we have already got legal guidelines in place to take care of such points, what’s the want for a brand new laws? All these phrases like ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’ are made up by the BJP to communally divide society and reap electoral advantages. It’s detrimental to a progressive state like Maharashtra,” he mentioned.
