BJP's Sangeet Som Repeats Himself, Calls Mahapanchayat on 'Love Jihad'

NEW DELHI: In a bid to incite passions before the 11 Assembly by polls in Uttar Pradesh BJP legislator Sangeet Som has convened a mahapanchayat in his constituency Sardana, Meerut to take up the ‘love jihad’ issue that has become a major plank for vote mobilisation in the state by the BJP, supported by front organisations and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Som was booked for posting a fake video on the internet and inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar in which over 60 persons killed and thousands displaced before the Lok Sabha elections. He was recently given Z category security by the NDA government. Four of the 11 seats going for re-polls are in west UP.

There has been no response from the Uttar Pradesh government as yet. It might be recalled that the Akhilesh Yadav government failed to take preventive action in Muzaffarnagar and allowed the panchayats and mahapanchayats to be held despite the communal speeches, and open incitement to violence.

The BJP,after raising the issue of love jihad, announced that this would not be part of of its official campaign agenda. The RSS however made it clear that this would be a major issue, and demonstrated it by making it a cover story in both its English and Hindi mouthorgans, namely the Organiser and Panchjanya. Front organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajrang Dal, the Dharma Jagran Manch, the Hindu Jagran Manch and other lesser known affiliates have all come together to campaign on this issue, that seeks to demonise the Muslim youth in particular for teasing and molesting women from the other community, and/or forcibly converting them.

As reported in The Citizen earlier the term was first contrived by the BJP and RSS in Karnataka, and more specifically in Mangalore. It has now been brought to UP, with unsubstantiated allegations being pushed as the ‘truth’ in the rural districts of the state. The non-BJP parties in the state---trounced by the BJP to just eight Lok Sabha constituencies---have been completely ineffective to counter this on the ground.

Som meanwhile has announced that at least a lakh persons will attend his mahapanchayat that is already creating tension in the area. He has been insisting that ‘terror organisations” are behind this “love jihad” in a vociferous campaign arousing deep fear in all communities, albeit for different reasons.

West UP has been simmering with communal tension ever since the Muzaffarnagar violence, that has erupted several times in clashes. Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Baghpat are just some of the districts impacted by communal violence.