The BJP has discovered a love for farmers and rediscovered the utility of the so-called “love jihad” in Uttar Pradesh.
The party has promised in its manifesto not only free power to farmers but also 10-year imprisonment for those found involved in “love jihad” — an unproven Islamophobic conspiracy theory that claims Muslims entrap Hindu girls in marriage aimed at converting the brides.
“There will be a provision for 10 years of jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh for those found doing love jihad,” reads the BJP Sankalp Patra (commitment paper) that was released by Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.
Shah’s own ministry had told the Lok Sabha in 2020 that the term “love jihad” was not defined under the law and no such case had been reported by any of the central agencies.
In November 2021, Allahabad High Court had asked the Yogi Adityanath government not to interfere with the “life, liberty and privacy” of 17 interfaith couples who wanted to marry or were already married and had told the court that the state government was harassing them.
The Uttar Pradesh government had made it mandatory for brides and grooms to take the permission of the district magistrates of their respective districts before getting married and for conversion.
But Justice Suneet Kumar had directed marriage registrars of the petitioners’ districts “to forthwith register the marriage of the petitioners without insisting on/ awaiting approval of the competent district authority with regard to conversion of faith”.
Facing the anger of the farmers of western Uttar Pradesh because the Narendra Modi government had ignored their voice for one year, the BJP has tried to woo them in the manifesto by promising free electricity over the next five years.
The manifesto has pledged to construct borewells, tubewells, ponds and tanks for small and marginal farmers. Cold-chain chambers and food processing units have also been promised.
Another pledge is minimum support price for produce like potato, tomato and onion. Farmers have been promised solar pumps, too.
The manifesto released by the Samajwadi Party has also made several promises to farmers.
