Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the third chief minister in a BJP ruled state who has taken a quick call against love jihad and said that anyone who is found to indulge in it will not be spared. He also went ahead and said that if there is a need, his government will not even hesitate in formulating a law to address love jihad and make sure that interfaith marriages do not take place, according to a recent report in Hindustan Times. The chief minister said, “ There will be no jihad in the name of love. If anyone indulges in such a practice, he will be taught a lesson and for this a law will be enacted.”
Love jihad as a term has been coined to refer to an alleged conspiracy started by Muslim men to convert Hindu women into Islam by proposing marriage to them.
Hindutva forces allege that this is a conspiracy designed by the Muslim community to gradually multiply their numbers and turn Hindus into a minority in the country.
Madhya Pradesh is the third state after Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to think of enacting a law to curb interfaith marriages and take such a strong position against the alleged concerns around the increase in love jihad.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said that anybody found to indulge in love jihad will meet death. Chief Minister of Haryana, Manohar Lal Khattar said that he is considering the usage of legal provisions to ensure that love jihad is curbed in Haryana.
All the three chief ministers have taken a strong position against the alleged existence of love jihad in the country and said that if the need arises, they will also be making laws to ensure that interfaith marriages are discouraged and people engaging in love jihad are punished under law in their states.
