Minimum 10 yrs in jail, Rs 1 lakh fine: BJP promises to tighten ‘love jihad’ law in UP

The BJP’s promise, which comes barely days ahead of the first phase of polling in the state, will be an upgrade to the existing law on ‘love jihad’, which refers to interfaith marriages, particularly of Muslim men and Hindu women.

At present, those convicted for forcible conversions are sentenced to jail for a term ranging between one to five years, and a minimum fine of Rs 15,000.

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— BJP Uttar Pradesh (@BJP4UP) February 8, 2022

For converting a minor or a woman from SC/ST community, the term can stretch to 10 years with a fine of Rs 25,000.

For mass conversions, the punishment goes up to a maximum of 10 years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.

In its manifesto – Lok Kapyan Sankalp Patra 2022 – released on Tuesday, the BJP has also promised to set up a Ramayan University for research on culture, shastras and religious facts associated with Lord Ram, besides a string of benefits for farmers and women.

Flanked by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the party had fulfilled “92 per cent” of the 212 ‘s promises the party had made ahead of the 2017 state polls.

“We have an elaborate manifesto. The BJP government has ended appeasement, nepotism and corruption from UP politics and laid a strong foundation to make UP safe and developed. We will restore the glory of UP,” he said.

For farmers, besides free electricity for irrigation and grants to set up bore and tube wells, the party has also promised a price stability fund to ensure minimum price for crops such as potato, tomato and onion.

It has also promised to strengthen procurement of wheat and paddy on Minimum Support Price (MSP), besides ensuring cane growers are paid within 14 days of procurement or paid interest.

Apart from setting up of six mega food parks in the state, the party has promised to launch the Rs 25,000-crore ‘Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Agri-infrastructure Mission’ to develop grading units, cold chain chambers.

With the Nishad community in mind, the BJP has also promised to launch the ‘Nishadraj Boat Subsidy Scheme’, which will provide 40 per cent subsidy to fishermen, apart from offering 25 per cent subsidy for setting up fish seed production units. The boatmen community is a significant base of the Nishad party, the BJP’s ally in the state.

For women, the party has announced ‘Mission Pink Toilet’ to build public toilets at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore, besides CCTV cameras at public places, particularly near educational institutions, and setting up of 3,000 ‘pink police booths’.

The manifesto also promises two, free LPG cylinders on Holi and Deepawali each to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana, besides free travel for women above the age of 60 years.

The pension to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, widows and helpless women will also be hiked to Rs 1,500 per month from Rs 1,000 per month, the party said.

The manifesto also announced completion of the Anti-Terrorist Commando Centre in Deoband and setting up of more such centres in Meerut, Rampur, Azamgarh, Kanpur and Bahraich districts.

In Ayodhya, where the Ram temple is being constructed, the party has also promised to set up a board to execute the integrated welfare schemes for elderly sants, priests and purohits, and to organise Mahakumbh-2025 at a grand scale with world class facilities.

As part of infrastructure development in villages, the BJP has promised to introduce the ‘Babuji Kalyan Singh Gram Unnat Yojana’. Named after former chief minister late Kalyan Singh, the scheme offers improved road connectivity, better drainage system, more bus stops, besides solar street lights and internet connectivity in rural areas. Singh belonged to the Lodh community, which has a sizeable presence in the Assembly constituencies going to polls in the first three phases of the coming elections.

The party has also promised to build at least one university in each division and an ITI in each block.

Asserting that it was committed to making the state the “top economy in the country” and to doubling the per capita income, the BJP promised to attract an investment of Rs 10 lakh crore in the next five years.

The party has also promised to set up a mega leather park in Kanpur to create two lakh jobs besides self-employment opportunities.

It has also promised to work for building the metro rail in Varanasi, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Jhansi and Prayagraj and to develop Jewar as a hub of aviation innovation and research.

Aiming to rid the state of Tuberculosis by 2025, the party has promised to set up six mega health parks with an investment of Rs 30,000 crore for production of health and surgical equipment and medicines.

Besides, the manifesto promises life insurance coverage to construction labourers and free education to

their children up to graduation. Auto rickshaw and taxi drivers will also be provided health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Ans, the party said, delivery boys associated with the e-commerce sector in welfare schemes.