Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at India TV's Chunav Manch.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday participated in an exclusive conversation at India TV's Chunav Manch and presented the report card of his 4.5-year rule in the state. The chief minister spoke on various issues like development of the state, expressways being constructed, handling of coronavirus, name changing of cities, including opposition's allegations among others.
Speaking on one such issue which the opposition has always used to target his government which is 'love jihad', Yogi Adityanath said that the law was a necessity for the state.
"Everyone has the freedom to worship their own religion but if you are taking the advantage of someone's situation and converting their religion fraudulently, then this will not be accepted in UP," Adityanath said.
"In 2009, the Kerala High Court had given an order to the Kerala government saying love jihad would make a state like Kerala an Islamic state. A jihadi wants to succumb to passion."
Adityanath continued and said, "After this such an order was issued in Karnataka also. Unfortunately, the governments there did not pay attention to it but we realized this and did it to balance the demographics in UP, because sooner or later we have to do it. We also have to be aware of the problems that come through it. We cannot separate ourselves from this fact."
Giving an example of love-jihad crime, the Chief Minister further mentioned, "After all, who can forget the woman of Meerut whom a man by deceitfully pretending to be a Hindu married her, later occupied the house. Later he killed the woman and girl child and buried them under the house."
"We have identified 100 such cases and fought against it in the court that such a law was required. The court also had to accept that the law was a requirement of the state."
Recalling another incident, Yogi Adityanath said, "Just now there was a case in Ghaziabad in which deaf and mute children were being forced to convert. Children who can't speak but through codewords in smartphones there was an attempt to connect them with jihadi passion."
