‘Love jihad’ on official agenda of BJP’s UP unit, meet today

The BJP state president had raised an incident in Faizabad where a Hindu girl was allegedly murdered by a Muslim youth.

The Uttar Pradesh unit of BJP has decided to include the issues of ‘love jihad’ and conversion of Hindus on the agenda for its two-day state executive committee meet, which begins in Mathura on Saturday. The decision came days after RSS wing Dharma Jagran Manch launched a campaign against ‘love jihad’, which refers to Hindu girls being allegedly converted to Islam for marriage, in the state.

BJP national president Amit Shah will inaugurate the state executive meeting in which all state and national leaders from Uttar Pradesh will participate and draft the party’s action plan for the 2017 Assembly elections.

“Issues of ‘love jihad’ and conversion of Hindus would be raised during discussions over law and order situation in the state and the party will also draft its future action plan to fight against these issues,” said state party president Laxmikant Bajpai.

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Bajpai said that recent incidents of communal tension in Saharanpur, Moradabad, Meerut and Ambedkar Nagar would also be discussed.

“Love jihad had so far been on the agenda of RSS only. The BJP has now started raising voice against it after coming to power at the Centre,” said another BJP leader.

During a workers’ convention held in the presence of Shah recently, the BJP state president had raised an incident in Faizabad where a Hindu girl was allegedly murdered by a Muslim youth. Local BJP leaders of Faizabad suspected it to be a case of ‘love jihad’. Shah had blamed “vote bank politics” and “appeasement policy” of the Samajwadi Party government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The Dharma Jagran Manch of RSS on Raksha Bandhan festival had started a seven-day campaign, appealing to Hindus for support in curbing ‘love jihad’ and requesting Hindu girls not to “fall prey” to such youths who lure them to get converted.

Lalmani Verma

Lalmani is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, and is based in New Delhi. He covers politics of the Hindi Heartland, tracking BJP, Samajwadi Party, BSP, RLD and other parties based in UP, Bihar and Uttarakhand. Covered the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, 2019 and 2024; Assembly polls of 2012, 2017 and 2022 in UP along with government affairs in UP and Uttarakhand. ... Read More

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