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More than one lakh complaints have highlighted a deliberate 'love jihad' conspiracy wherein Hindu women were being lured into marriage by men using fake identities, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Targeting Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, Fadnavis claimed "vote jihad" was witnessed in 14 of 48 constituencies in Maharashtra in recent Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a public event in Kolhapur city on Monday evening, Fadnavis pointed out instances wherein women were tricked into inter-faith marriage and subsequently abandoned after they gave birth to children.
Fadnavis' remarks drew sharp reactions from Congress which accused him of violating the Constitutional oath and demanded an apology.
"A decade ago, we used to think that love jihad talk was a one-off incident. We thought it was not a conspiracy. We have now observed that there have been more than one lakh complaints where Hindu women are lured into marriage by running away with men from different faiths," said Fadnavis, who handles the state home ministry.
Love 'Jihad' is an unofficial term used by Hindu groups to refer to an alleged campaign by Muslim men to convert Hindu girls under the pretext of love and marriage.
Fadnavis clarified that he was not against inter-faith marriages.
"However, in many cases, individuals have used fake identities and provided false information about themselves for marriage. These individuals have also abandoned their spouses after they have had children together," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.
"This is not an act of love, but it is a deliberate conspiracy, and it is love jihad. It is a way of cheating and spoiling women from our religion," Fadnavis said.
The BJP leader raked up "vote jihad" and referenced the outcome in the Dhule Lok Sabha constituency where the MVA candidate emerged victorious on account of "en masse voting in the Malegaon Central assembly segment against the BJP nominee in the fray".
"Vote jihad was seen in Lok Sabha elections. In the Dhule constituency, the BJP candidate led with 1.90 lakh votes in five assembly seats. However, our candidate trailed by 1.94 lakh votes because of voting in the Malegaon Central assembly segment, losing the election by just 4,000 votes," Fadnavis said.
The poll outcome notwithstanding, the real concern is the growing confidence of some people who think if they can vote in large numbers they can defeat Hindutva forces, even though they are a minority in absolute numbers, he said.
This is the time to awaken, Fadnavis added.
"Out of 48 Lok Sabha constituencies (in Maharashtra), 14 seats witnessed vote jihad. Hindu religion never disrespected other faiths; tolerance is in our blood. I call for the need to awaken Hindutva if someone is voting for electing anti-Hindu leaders to top posts," the former chief minister said.
Fadnavis also expressed concerns over the "secret" conversion of Hindus to other faiths.
"In certain cases, people have Indian names. But after they die, they are buried and a cross is installed. The major threat before us is that the number of certain religions looks smaller on paper, but in reality, more people have been converted secretly. We need to awaken and protect our religion," he said.
Responding to Fadnavis' remarks, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said the BJP leader should know there were Muslim warriors in the army of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
"Fadnavis is weak in history. There were Muslim warriors in Shivaji Maharaj's army. He should apologise," Patole said.
Leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, suggested that Fadnavis' remarks are politically motivated.
"The BJP only talks about jihad, mosque, Hindu-Muslim, and Bharat-Pakistan. If they do not use these four words, their candidates will lose deposits in the election. This is a pattern used by BJP people," he alleged.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant alleged that Fadnavis had insulted the values of the Constitution by using words like vote jihad.
"Fadnavis has violated his Constitutional oath by using such language. The BJP should introspect why Muslims do not vote for them," Sawant said.
Accusing the BJP of double standards, Sawant said the BJP defends leaders like party MLA Nitesh Rane and preacher Ramgiri Maharaj but promises two free LPG cylinders for Muslim festivals in the Jammu and Kashmir elections.
"Instead of defending their vile leaders, BJP should prosecute them for spreading hatred. If you cannot do it, there is no point in crying foul over the issue. Muslims do not vote for BJP as the party is not making honest efforts for the integration of society," he added.