The BJP is once again doing what it is best known for, which is to rake up the new communal agenda. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana is mulling a law to stop the so-called ‘love jihad’. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra recently said that a ‘love jihad bill’, which includes five years of rigorous imprisonment for ‘violators’, will soon be introduced in the state assembly. The bill will also have a provision that will make it necessary to notify the district collector a month in advance before formalizing an inter-faith marriage.
This is for the first time that any government is talking of formalizing a law in regards to the so-called love jihad. Until now, ‘love jihad’ was not a term recognized by any legal system in India. It was coined by Sangh parivar outfits to describe an imaginary Muslim conspiracy to convert unsuspecting Hindu women to Islam. The conspiracy theory is getting mainstreamed with the MP government mulling to introduce a bill. Just when everyone thinks that the BJP would concentrate on governance and put an end to its religious agenda, the saffron party throws up surprises. Its relentless religious polarization is deeply dividing the nation. The BJP is least worried about governance. The economy of the country is in a bad shape and people have no jobs. But instead of addressing these pressing issues, the saffron party keeps on bringing up religious issues to divide the people.