Owaisi lashes out at BJP-ruled states' 'Love Jihad' laws; reminds them 'Right to religion'

Lashing out at the new 'Love Jihad' laws/ordinances passed by several BJP-ruled states, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, on Tuesday, pointed out that none of the laws had defined 'Love Jihad' and were unconstitutional. Asking the BJP why they were interfering into citizens' personal lives, Owaisi reminded the BJP of the Supreme Court's judgment on decriminalising homosexuality. As of now Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh governments have passed laws against 'Love Jihad', while Haryana, Karnataka and Assam too are planning to pass such laws. 

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Owaisi: 'Ordinances are unconstitutional'

"These laws and ordinances which are being made are all unconstitutional. An adult can spend his life the way he wants, states cannot do anything. While adults can marry anyone, BJP ruled states are making laws on it. If a Muslim girl is changing her religion then the police are tweeting that 'they will give her protection'.  Why are Yogi and Modi peeping into personal lives?," he said in a Hyderabad press conference.

He added, "Constitution gives the right to life, freedom, religion, Who is the state govt (to interfere)? You don't have right, even I don't have it. The government cannot define love-jihad and 10 years of imprisonment punishment is not there in an attempt to murder case also. How will you prove it? This is nonsense."

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The Love-Jihad Laws in states

Madhya Pradesh cabinet promulgated the  'MP Freedom to Religion Bill, 2020' on Tuesday, to prevent conversion by marriage and religious conversion by financial 'allurement', fraudulent, and forceful means. The Madhya Pradesh Law, in lines of UP's 'Love Jihad law', too penalises forced conversion with imprisonment of 1-5 years with Rs.15,000 penalty. It too has a special clause for minors, Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe with imprisonment between 3-10 years and the penalty upto Rs.25,000. Both laws do not specifically mention the term 'love jihad' or define it. Currently, anti-conversion laws are in force in Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.

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What is 'Love Jihad'?

Love Jihad is a term referring to an alleged campaign by Muslim men to convert Hindu girls under the pretext of love. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has often claimed that Kerala has 'rampant' love jihad, adding that they (alluding to Muslims) were luring women - not just Hindus, but even Christians and forcefully converting them in Kerala. After investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated that it though it had found a common mentor in some of the Kerala cases in August 2017, there was no evidence of attempted or forced conversion in such cases.  Earlier this year, MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy informed the Parliament that 'love jihad' is not defined under the current laws adding that no case of 'love jihad' has been reported by any of the Central agencies.

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