Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala Clarifies Stance On 'Love Jihad' & Anti-Conversion Law

The Haryana government is set to bring in a bill against religious conversions done through force or fraudulent means in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly.

File Photo: PTI

New Delhi: As the anti-religious conversion bill is set to be tabled in the Haryana assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has clarified his disagreement with the term 'love jihad' on Thursday.

The Deputy Chief Minister spoke to the media about the bill in Panchkula.

"If the law is made to check forceful religious conversions, our party (JJP) will definitely support it. If the law will be presented with a specific term like 'love jihad', then we will have to discuss it," he said.

He also stated that his Jannayak Janta Party's MLAs will have a discussion if the law mentions any "caste-specific words".

The term 'love jihad' has been widely used by right-wing activists and politicians who allege that there is a conscious form of “Jihad” that relies on attempts to convert Hindu women into Islam by luring them with friendship and then marriage.

The Haryana government is set to bring in a bill against religious conversions done through force or fraudulent means in the upcoming budget session of the Assembly.

There will be another bill tabled to recover damages to public and private properties from protesters in the state.

BJP ruled states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have either cleared the legislation over the matter of alleged forceful relgious conversions or are in the process of doing so.