The Vishva Hindu Parishad has questioned the Rajasthan government’s handling of alleged love jihad and land jihad cases, saying that it doesn’t see much difference between the previous Congress government and the current BJP one led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Addressing a press conference in Jaipur on Wednesday, VHP’s kshetriya mantri, or regional minister, Suresh Upadhyay, cited a 2024 case from Jahazpur in Bhilwara where stones were allegedly pelted at a Bevan religious procession while it was passing through a Muslim locality, leading to communal tension in the area.
Questioning the government’s handling of the case, Upadhyay said, “Mujhe is prakaran ko dekhne ke baad koi bahut zyada antar sarkar badalne ka dikhayi nahi deta hai. Adhikari wahi ke wahi hain (After looking at this episode, I don’t see much difference after the change of government. The officers are the same). And they act in the way that suits them,” he said.
“Hindu hit wali sarkar isko kehte hain. Kehna alag baat hai, karna alag baat hai (This has been called a government in the interest of Hindus. But saying is one thing and doing is another). We would expect that for both love jihad and land jihad, a strict law should be brought so that both these issues can be stopped,” Upadhyay said.
He, however, made it clear that his dissatisfaction with the current government is limited to the two issues of “love jihad” and “land jihad”, not the overall working of the government. He said he could not give a “certificate” on the working of the government.
On “love jihad”, he said, “It is a country-wide problem. Not a day passes by without a love jihad case coming to my notice.” He claimed that it involved a “big racket from Kashmir to Kanyakumari”.
He alleged that officers of the administration, “who have come from Macaulay’s education system”, handle it as a regular love affair and don’t consider it “love jihad”.
Story continues below this ad
Whether “love jihad” or “land jihad”, administrative officers’ priority is to “maintain peace”, he said. He also criticised officials for presenting a weak case in the courts in such matters.
“The law that is in place right now (for love jihad) is not going to work,” he said, calling for the implementation of a stricter law so that neither those engaging in “love jihad” nor lax administrative officials can escape.
In the ongoing Budget session of the state Assembly, the Rajasthan government has tabled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill with the aim of checking “love jihad” among other issues.
Recently, the state was rocked by a case of alleged rape and blackmail in Beawar district that had led to communal tensions.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
