Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, 17 November became the fifth BJP-ruled state to announce that they are planning to bring in laws to curb ‘love jihad’, a right-wing conspiracy theory that accuses a larger plot by Muslim men to feign love to non-Muslim women and convert them to Islam.
The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh said that the government was planning a law that would bring five years’ imprisonment for ‘love jihad’.
It is important to note that no term called ‘love jihad’ is defined in the Constitution of India. According to Constitutional experts, ‘love jihad’ is a conspiracy theory without evidence and goes against the liberty of choosing one’s own partner from any religion or caste, reported News18.
In February this year, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy had told Parliament that the term ‘love jihad’ is not defined under any existing law and no case has been reported by any central agency. India’s Constitution safeguards interfaith love and marriage, protects personal liberties and provides legal arrangements for the same.
In October, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had issued a death threat to those who ‘conceal their identity’ and ‘play with the honour of our sisters and daughters’. The Uttar Pradesh CM’s speech was recorded by the news agency ANI.
“I warn those who conceal their identity and play with the honour of our sisters and daughters if you don’t mend your ways, your ‘Ram naam satya’ journey will begin,” Aditaynath had said.
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