'We'll Convert Them If...': Maha BJP MLA Demands 'Hindu-Only' Entry To Dandiya Events Over 'Love Jihad' Fear

After VHP's demand to Gujarat Govt, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane in Maharashtra demanded that only Hindus be permitted to participate in Dandiya events during the upcoming Navaratri festival.

In a contentious move, BJP MLA Nitesh Rane on Tuesday demanded that only Hindus be permitted to participate in Dandiya events during the upcoming Navaratri festival. Claiming concerns about 'Love Jihad' and religious conversion, Rane advocated for strict entry checks based on Aadhaar cards to ensure that only members of the Hindu community could partake in these festivities.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Rane asserted, "It is the demand of the entire Hindu community that when Navaratri begins and Dandiya is played, participants should be from the Hindu community. We have received extensive information that cases of 'Love Jihad' and religious conversion come to the fore at this time. Hindu women are lied to and lured. People who do not belong to our community come to such events wearing saffron and other attires and call themselves Hindus. So, we have urged the organisers that if they check the Aadhaar cards of everyone coming in, at the entrance, and allow only Hindus, the Hindu women will not face any difficulty."

He continued, "If they want to take part in Hindu celebrations, we are ready to convert them into Hinduism. We have Hindu organisations that can help them return to our religion. Whoever takes part in Dandiya or Navratri festival has to be a Hindu."

These remarks come on the heels of a similar demand by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an affiliated right-wing organisation, which urged the Gujarat government to ensure that individuals labeled as "love jihadis" do not gain access to garba pandals during the Navratri festival. The VHP also called for service providers at the events not to be from the Muslim community, news agency PTI reported.

The VHP also demanded that entry should be granted only after thorough verification of ID and Aadhaar cards.

Surendra Jain, joint general secretary of the VHP, "Garba is an occasion to offer worship to Goddess. Some 'jihadis' misuse such occasions. I would like to appeal to all the organisers of garba that pandal-walas (those who construct pandals), catering service people, or members of security services should not be Muslim, and they should allow entry to any person only after checking ID card and Aadhaar card", as quoted by PTI.

Jain further asserted that the government should ensure that law and order are maintained to prevent any potential unrest.

Garba, a traditional Gujarati folk dance, is performed during the nine-day Navratri festival, set to be celebrated from October 15 to 23 this year.