Mumbai: Vishal Vimal, a social activist from Pune working with the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, has helped facilitate 18 interfaith marriages in over a decade.
Intercaste and interfaith couples approach the organisation seeking help. “Many of their parents are against their union,” said Vishal.
“We check whether they are really in love or if it’s just attraction. We offer some counselling and make sure they will be able to live independently,” he added. The organisation then helps interfaith couples register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act.
Vishal himself has been married to a Muslim woman since 2016. However, in his case, the marriage was blessed by both sets of parents.
Maharashtra’s focus on interfaith marriages and ‘love jihad’, following the deaths of Shraddha Walkar and actor Tunisha Sharma last year, though, have made Vishal anxious. “This is being done for polarisation of votes,” he said.
On 25 December, Maharashtra cabinet minister Girish Mahajan, calling Tunisha Sharma’s alleged suicide a case of ‘love jihad’, had said that the state is planning a law against it. The comment had followed the arrest of actor Sheezan Mohammed Khan on the charges of abetment to suicide.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, too, has stated multiple times in the past that the government is mulling a law against love jihad. “Other states have made stringent laws to curb such cases and hence Maharashtra is ready to enact the law on similar lines to ensure the protection of women,” he said in the state assembly on 20 December.
According to political analyst Hemant Desai, previously only certain pockets of the state saw Hindu-Muslim tension, but with recent events, communal lines are being drawn across the state.
Earlier in December, the Shinde-Fadnavis government in the state set up a committee to gather information about intercaste and interfaith couples, and to enquire whether the families of the women involved are estranged. However, after facing backlash over the committee “promoting caste system”, the government amended its scope to include only interfaith marriages.
On 14 December, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jitendra Awhad had tweeted that setting up the committee is an “anti-constitutional” and “nauseating” step.
What's this rubbish of committee to check inter caste/religion marriages? Who is govt to spy on who marries whome? In liberal Maharashtra this a retrograde, nauseating step.Which way is progressive #Maharashtra heading towards. Stay away from people's pvt life. pic.twitter.com/pnjwNjE6Rt
— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) December 14, 2022
Ambadas Danve, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) member, told ThePrint that the teasing of a ‘love jihad’ law is a politically motivated move by the BJP.
“We will study the law once it is brought in. If the couple is going into these marriages consciously then why oppose it?” he asked, adding that forcible conversions must come with some conditions.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant told ThePrint, “The state government has an utter disregard for the constitution. This law will be anti-woman as it takes away their right to choose. It is the anti-idea of India.”
Political experts say that it sets a dangerous precedent and divides people on communal lines.
“The government got these two cases [Shraddha and Tunisha] on a platter for the BJP to pursue its agenda further. They are creating a narrative that divides the public on communal lines,” said Pratap Asbe, political commentator.
Flavia Agnes, women’s rights activist, and lawyer at Bombay High Court, called the interfaith marriage committee “absurd”. “They claim to be safeguarding women against domestic violence but that’s prevalent in all kinds of marriages, not only interfaith marriages,” she said, adding that such laws will only harm Hindu women and their right to choose.
Also Read: ‘Love-jihad’ has a new territory. With Jharkhand murder, it has entered the tribal belt
Political mileage?
Some believe the BJP is using the two cases to paint the opposition as anti-Hindu, especially Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).
“BJP is also trying to paint Uddhav Thackeray as someone who is anti-Hindu and going closer to NCP and Congress,” said Hemant Desai,
Asbe is of the opinion that while the BJP is trying to gain political mileage, the BMC elections will be fought on BMC issues and not on communal lines. “More than success rate, this is being done to keep the communal pot in Maharashtra simmering,” he said.
Desai said that earlier there were only certain pockets in the state like Aurangabad, Malegaon, and Bhiwandi where Hindu-Muslim tensions prevailed, but using these cases, the government is trying to set a similar narrative across the state.
This was observed when Kolhapur, which has not been historically communal according to Desai, was the venue for a march Monday by Hindu organisations against ‘love jihad’, alleged illegal conversions and cow slaughter.
He added that BJP might want to fight elections on this plank in the future.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)
Also Read: Maharashtra interfaith marriage panel not about love jihad, but helping women: Minister Lodha