'Love jihad' in Uttar Pradesh: BJP's latest strategy against Akhilesh

Does something called ‘love jihad’ really exist? No one is sure and there is no documented proof but in this year’s climate of communal polarisation in Uttar Pradesh it has come handy as a political tool. Implicit in the idea is a very low opinion of girls of the Hindu community – they lack any sense of judgement, thus can be easily lured into love and made to convert to Islam -  but in the prevailing situation not many as prepared to argue that. ‘Love jihad’ is serving a purpose, and it has nothing to with love. A day before its executive meeting at Vrindavan, the leaders of the BJP discussed at length how ‘love jihad’ is emerging as a major threat to girls of the Hindu community, and vowed to create awareness about it in the region. It was an informal discussion but it left no doubt in the minds of people present that it was a serious issue, at least in the BJP-Sangh Parivar scheme of things. [caption id=“attachment_1678881” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image used for representational purposes only. AFP.[/caption] On Friday, while the party office-bearers talked about measures to tackle ‘love jihad’, alleged instances of conversion of Hindus to Islam were also taken up. Other leaders alleged that the state government was providing ‘protection’ to such elements who were ‘trapping’ Hindu girls especially in this region. “The trend became visible about seven-eight years ago but has caught momentum in the last two years,” said an MLA from western UP. Saturday’s session, which the BJP’s national president Amit Shah, failed to attend due to other party commitments, choose not to raise the issue. However, the president of the state unit, Laxmikant Bajpai, in his address touched the subject indirectly while discussing the issue of forced conversions and subsequent deterioration in the communal environment. “Such cases have increased in recent months,” he pointed out. All leaders avoided the phrase ‘love jihad’ in their addresses. However, it is clear that it has entrenched itself in the political-communal discourse of the state. According to Prof Rahul Shukla, a professor in history in a Lucknow University college in Lucknow, the term ‘love jihad’ refers to attempts by Muslim boys to lure Hindu girls in friendship, followed by offers of marriage, and then the girls are converted to Islam. “Allegation of this kind was first pointed out by some activists in Kerala more than a decade ago and it has surfaced in Uttar Pradesh in the last few years,” he said. The propaganda has its negative consequences. The social environment had become so communally surcharged that even normal friendship between a Hindu girl and a Muslim man was now branded as an attempt of ‘love jihad’ despite the fact that the two may not be having an intention to get married. “Local reports suggest that the recent case of a Hindu girl teaching in a madarsa being forced to convert to Islam could be an example of such confusion. It appears that the girl and the main accused knew each other for a long time,” said Sandeep Kumar, a social activist. Last month, reports had come in from western UP districts of Meerut, Saharanpur and Bijnore that local workers of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had launched a rakhi campaign to create awareness to protect Hindu girls from ‘love jihad’. Under the campaign launched weeks before Rakshabandhan, rakhi had been tied to the wrists of hundreds of girls and even men to remind them of the pledge to protect their kin. With no clear way to defining ‘love jihad’ it is open to interpretations. It is also an issue that has the potential to draw emotional reactions from people who are not particularly well-informed. As the trend of communalisation of the society shifts from urban to rural areas in the state, it is likely to be turned into a handy tool for communal propaganda.