Prioritise ‘love jihad’, not sewage, road work: MP Nalin Kumar Kateel tells BJP cadres

Karnataka has a law against forced conversions, but Hindu hardliners want a separate law for cases of "love jihad".

Bengaluru, Jan 03: Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Nalin Kumar Kateel kicked up a massive controversy after advising party workers to focus on fighting "love jihad" instead of civic issues such as road and sewage issues.

Addressing party workers at 'Booth Vijaya Abhiyana' in Mangaluru on Monday, Kateel said "Do not discuss civic issues like roads and sewage...If you're worried about your children's future, and if you want to stop love jihad, then we need BJP. To get rid of love jihad, we need BJP," Kateel said.

Kateel further said that BJP is the only party that can bring a law against 'love jihad'.

"BJP was the one that brought a law against cow slaughter, and which introduced a law against religious conversion. BJP will be the one which will bring in a law against love jihad," Kateel said.

The statement is likely to trigger a political slugfest ahed of the state elections due later this year.

Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar slammed BJP leaders remarks, accusing the ruling party of trying to polarise voters.

"This is the worst (reply). They are not looking at development, they are looking at hate, they are looking at dividing the country...That is why we are only looking at development," said DK Shivakumar.

"They are just playing people on emotion. We want jobs, we want that price rise should not affect people, we are worried about the daily living of people," he told reporters.

There is growing demand by the rightwing groups in Karnataka to crack down on so-called love jihad, the term they use while accusing Muslim men of "trapping" Hindu women in relationships and forcing them to convert.

Several BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are are mulling strict laws against "love jihad".