WILL BRING IN LAW TO PUT AN END TO ‘KIDNAPPING’, CONVERSION OF HINDU GIRLS: CM

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday said at an election rally that his government will bring in a law against “love jihad” to stop the “kidnapping” and conversion of Hindu girls.

Speaking at Godhra in Panchmahal district, Rupani reiterated the government’s intention to table the legislation in the coming budget session of the state Assembly.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have enacted laws to penalise ’fraudulent conversions’ to stop what party leaders term as “love Jihad” or an alleged conspiracy to convert Hindu women through marriage. “Assembly session is starting from March 1 and my government is willing to bring in a strict law against love jihad. We will not tolerate this act of kidnapping of Hindu girls,” Rupani said.

He added, “Women are being lured and converted. This new law is aimed at stopping such activities.”

Rupani was campaigning for February 28 elections to municipalities, taluka and district panchayats in the state. The Gujarat chief minister had announced on February 15 for the first time that the BJP government in the state will bring in such a law. BJP MLA Shailesh Mehta and the party’s Vadodara MP Ranjanben Bhatt had earlier called for a law on the lines of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

“Love jihad” is a term used by right-wing activists to describe relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women, but one that the courts and the Union government do not officially recognise.Several activists and legal experts argue that the law could be used to target Muslims and infringed on the fundamental rights to equality, freedom of religion, and life and personal liberty.

The new law has also galvanised Hindu activists and many leaders of the BJP, who say it was required to stop forced conversions. But the law has also riled activists and opposition parties, who say it is unconstitutional because it practically outlaws interfaith relationships and bolsters “love jihad”.

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