While it was the Syro-Malabar Church in Kerala that first raised the issue of rampant cases of Love Jihad, it is now Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani who is raising the seriousness of the issue.
In a statement, Mani said, “Love jihad has again come up as an issue. Society has apprehensions about it. As the issue has emerged again, the apprehensions about it should be cleared.”
This statement issued by the Congress (M) leader is a real problem for the Communist Party of India (Marxist). The CPM is an ally of the Congress (M) in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) . The statement has now created a massive controversy and now there are fissures in the ruling left alliance just days ahead of the Assembly election, reported the Indian Express.
The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) too has rallied behind Jose K Mani in support of his statement on ‘Love Jihad’. The KCBC exerts some clout among the Kerala Christian votebank to take voters from the LDF.
KCBC spokesperson, Father Jacob, commenting on the issue demanded, “CPM and other major political parties should reveal their stance on the matter.” He added, “Love Jihad is a fact. I am happy about the practical response from Kerala Congress (M) chairman Jose K Mani”, as per a Mathrubhumi report.
Father Jacob was livid and said, “The Chief Minister claims that Love Jihad does not exist. He is making such a statement over his political agenda. The church and the public are worried about Love Jihad. The government and political parties are bound to solve the issue.”
Clarifying his stance on willful inter-religion marriage, he said, “The church is not against marriage between people who belong to different religions. But the church opposes making someone forcefully follow a religion.”
Jacob went on to allege that the only political party that denies the existence of ‘Love Jihad’ is the Muslim League.
When Hindu leaders raised their voice against Love Jihad they were branded as communal but in Kerala, the Catholic Church was the first to consistently use its pulpit against “love jihad” and to have also sought BJP’s support for the same.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its manifesto released last week, promised to bring legislation to counter ‘Love Jihad’ like in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
BJP leader ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan had also spoken against the social menace of ‘Love Jihad’, where non-Muslim girls are tricked into conversion to Islam.
Congress leader and member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor said, “The BJP can only offer communalism, tired scare-mongering over ‘love Jihad’ and a hate-filled politics of bigotry and division that will never go far in pluralist, inclusive Kerala”.
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