Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged on Wednesday that Chhattisgarh’s Bemetara district has become a hub of “love jihad” under the state’s Congress government headed by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, The Hindu reported.
“Love jihad” is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men lure Hindu women into romantic relationships in order to convert them to Islam. The Union home ministry has told Parliament that Indian law has no provision defining such a term.
Shah made the remarks while addressing a rally in the Saja Assembly constituency of Bemetara on the final day of campaigning before the second phase of the state elections.
Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are being held in two phases. While the first phase was conducted on November 7 across 20 seats, the remaining 90 seats will go to polls on November 17. Results will be declared on December 3.
According to the Union home minister, Sahu, Kurmi and Gond communities had been “becoming a target of love jihad while the Baghel government was sleeping”.
“Who will wake them up?” asked Shah. “It is your votes. I promise, you bring the Bharatiya Janata Party to power, no one will dare commit such an act.”
He further alleged that Baghel had turned the Durg division from being an education hub to a “centre of betting”.
