BJP MLA meets Maha CM, asks govt to bring law against 'love jihad'

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Nitesh Rane has said he along with members of the Sakal Hindu Samaj have asked the Maharashtra government to enact a law in the state against "love jihad" and religious conversion.

Speaking to reporters in the state legislature complex in Nagpur on Wednesday, Rane said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis have assured to bring such a law soon in the state.

"Love jihad" is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage Rane said he along with women representatives of the Sakal Hindu Samaj met Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy CM Fadnavis, demanding a law against "love jihad" and religious conversion in Maharashtra, on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and other states.

"The chief minister and the deputy CM have taken our demands seriously and assured to bring a law soon in the state," he said.

Rane said the Sakal Hindu Samaj has been taking out morchas in every district of Maharashtra, demanding a strict law against "love jihad" and religious conversion.

Fadnavis had last week said the government would study laws on "love jihad" framed by other states and take an appropriate decision.

Notably, Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Girish Mahajan recently alleged the death of actor Tunisha Sharma last week was a matter of "love jihad" and that the state was planning to bring a strict law to curb such incidents.

State BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar on Wednesday demanded that a probe be conducted from "love jihad" angle into Sharma's death, in which her co-star Sheezan Khan has been arrested.