'Espousing bigotry to join BJP?': Congress targets E Sreedharan for 'Love Jihad' comment

A day ahead of 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan's formal entry into BJP, the Congress party on Saturday targeted him over his recent comments on 'Love Jihad'. Speaking to a private media organization, Sreedharan revealed his opposition to 'Love Jihad' and claimed that Hindu and Christian girls are being tricked in the name of marriage. Writing on Twitter, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo contended that peddling such "dangerous narratives" was akin to weakening India's secular foundation.

Taking a dig at the 'Metro Man', Deo questioned whether a person could join BJP only after espousing "bigotry". Credited for the construction of the Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro, Sreedharan is set to officially join BJP on February 21 during the inauguration of the party's statewide Vijaya Yatra from Kasargod. He has expressed his desire to not just contest the upcoming Kerala Assembly polls but also pitched himself as a prospective Chief Ministerial candidate. 

Read: 'Metro Man' E Sreedharan Defends Move To Enter Politics; To Contest Kerala Assembly Polls

BJP's move to outlaw 'Love Jihad' 

As per some organisations, 'Love Jihad' refers to inter-religious marriages where the woman converts to Islam either by force or guile in order to marry a Muslim man. In 2010, the then Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan had accused PFI and some other organisations of planning to turn the state into a Muslim-majority state by doling out money. In 2020, G Kishan Reddy told the Parliament that 'Love Jihad' is not defined under the current laws and that no such case has been reported by any of the Central agencies. 

On November 28, 2020, Uttar Pradesh became the first state to outlaw 'Love Jihad' when Governor Anandiben Patel promulgated the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. Under this ordinance, an individual who forcefully marries a girl for the sheer purpose of converting her religion can face punishment up to 10 years in jail. Besides this, mass conversions shall be punishable with a jail term of 3-10 years and a fine of Rs.50,000 on the organizations conducting it. If someone wants to convert to another religion, he/she has to submit an application to the District Magistrate two months in advance. 

In January 2021, the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance, 2020, came into force. Incorporating stiff punishments similar to UP, it states, "No person shall convert or attempt to convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person by use of misrepresentation, allurement, use of threat of force, undue influence, coercion or marriage or by any other fraudulent means". Similarly, the BJP-led governments in Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka and Assam have also announced their intention to pass laws against forced religious conversions.

Read: Fashionable To Oppose Whatever Modi Govt Does; No Intolerance In Country: E Sreedharan