Now, Bajrang Dal planning to start 'bahu lao, beti bachao' campaign to counter 'love jihad'

Lucknow, Dec 29: The controversy over 'conversions' or 'Ghar vapsi' is yet not over and the Bajrang Dal, youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is now said to be preparing for yet another campaign named Bahu Lao, Beti Bachao.'

As per reports, the campaign will start in Uttar Pradesh from February 17.

As per a TOI report, "Under the programme, the Hindutva outfit's members will visit girls' colleges to create awareness about 'love jihad'. Members will also approach mothers of marriageable Hindu men in order to persuade them to marry off their sons to Muslim or Christian girls willing to marry into Hindu families."

"In love jihad, Muslim youths marry Hindu girls pretending to be Hindus for which they get funded by different organizations from Pakistan and other Islamic countries. But, in 'bahu laao, beti bachao' campaign, we will neither ask Hindu youths to cheat girls nor provide them any money to win over girls of other communities," Ajju Chauhan, state (UP) co-convener of Bajrang Dal, was quoted as saying in the daily.

The Hindu-outfit is also planning to launch similar campaigns in Karnataka and Kerala.

Amid a raging row over alleged religious conversions undertaken by right-wing groups, RSS ideologue MG Vaidya on Monday said what is happening was not change in faith, but "homecoming" of those who had left the Hindu fold.

"This is not religious conversion. This is `ghar wapsi' (homecoming of Hindus who adopted other religions)," he told when asked about faith change programmes of certain groups, an issue which had rocked Parliament and disrupted its functioning.

The `ghar wapsi' programme of Hindutva outfits is not new. It was launched in 1995-96, but this time around too much hue and cry has been raised over the issue, he maintained.

On the issue figuring prominently in Parliament and leading to its repeated adjournments, the former Maharashtra MLC said the Opposition members, probably, do not have much work in the House and hence they are creating ruckus. There had been a "spurt" in conversion of Hindus into Christianity since 1964-65 but nobody raised this issue, Vaidya stated.

Odisha had recorded the highest number of such conversions, he claimed.

(With inputs from agencies)

OneIndia News