'UP's creativity deserves 2 Nobel Prizes': Chidambaram takes dig at Love Jihad ordinance

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday took a dig at the UP government amid the promulgation of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020. Dubbing UP as the "most creative state" in law-making, he contended that no one else could have invented a crime called 'Love Jihad'. He pointed out that an FIR was filed without any complaint and followed by a non-bailable warrant owing to this ordinance. Moreover, the Rajya Sabha MP claimed an arrest was made even without an FIR in UP. 

Read: MP Govt Unveils Contours Of Anti-Love Jihad Bill, Guilty Face Up To 10 Years In Jail

UP government acts against forced conversions

Under the aforesaid UP 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. Such a marriage will be declared null and void. 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. 

Incidentally, the UP government's move comes amid an Allahabad High Court's judgment affirming that "the right to live with a person of his/her choice irrespective of religion professed by them, is intrinsic to the right to life and personal liberty". This ordinance has been challenged in the Supreme Court on the grounds that it can become a potent tool in the hands of bad elements to falsely implicate persons who are not involved in 'Love Jihad'. Governments in MP, Haryana, Assam, and Karnataka too have promised to enact a law against 'Love Jihad' very soon. 

What is 'Love Jihad'?

As per some organizations, '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 organizations of planning to turn the state into a Muslim-majority state by doling out money. Earlier this year, MoS Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy informed the Parliament that 'love jihad' is not defined under the current laws. Moreover, he stated that no case of 'love jihad' has been reported by any of the Central agencies. 

Read: Rajasthan BJP's Satish Poonia Demands Law Against 'Love Jihad'; BJYM Starts Campaign