New Delhi, Sept. 12: Union home minister Rajnath Singh today said he had no idea what “love jihad” was, knocking the wind out of the sails of some Right-wing activists who had been crying hoarse about a perceived conspiracy involving marriage and conversion.
“Love jihad? Woh kya hai (What’s that)?” the BJP leader said when a reporter asked him about the raging debate on the expression some outfits have been using to discourage marriage between Muslim boys and Hindu girls.
“Tell me what is it, what is its definition,” Rajnath said.
Several party leaders, too, have used the expression to voice concern over what they claim is a conspiracy by minority youths marrying girls from the majority community and forcing them to convert.
BJP Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath recently told a rally “love jihad” was a “national problem”. Ally Shiv Sena has also used the expression.
This week, Madhya Pradesh BJP vice-president Usha Thakur referred to “love jihad” while seeking to “ban” Muslims from participating in the Garba dance performed during the Navratri festival.
Rajnath’s media conference was about the achievements of his ministry in the first 100 days of the new government. But the standout feature was his consistently conciliatory tone on violence and communal harmony.
Asked about his meeting with the parents of a man from Maharashtra who was killed fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq, he said there was no truth in reports that the outfit had been successful in “recruiting” cadres from India.
“All Muslim organisations have condemned the IS… there has to be communal harmony in the country and all these organisations also want it,” he said.
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