Electoral battle between Hindutva and rest are already in the air
By Abdulhafiz Lakhani Ahmedabad
One statement each by Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel give sufficient indication that BJP government in So called Modi Land is full Hindutva mode and It looks certainly that coming state Assembly election in 2022 will be battle between Hindutva against rest.
Despite Gujarat High court last week turned down the state government’s plea seeking rectification of its recent order in which it stayed the operation of section 5 of the new anti-conversion law, state government will challenge it in Apex court.
Section 5 of the Gujarat Freedom Of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 mandates that religious priests must take prior permission from the district magistrate for converting any person from one religion to another
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Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday said the government will approach the Supreme Court against the Gujarat High Court’s order staying several sections of the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021.
Rupani said the state government is firm on implementing the law. He alleged that Hindu girls are made to elope, and later forced to undergo religious conversion. THe CM was speaking on the sidelines of an event organised in the state capital Gandhinagar to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Gujarati poet Jhaverchand Meghani, who was also given the title of ‘’Rashtriya Shayar’.
On August 19, the Gujarat HC had stayed Sections 3, 4, 4A to 4C, 5, 6 and 6A of the amended Act pending further hearing, saying that they “shall not operate merely because a marriage is solemnised by a person of one religion with a person of another religion without force or by allurement or by fraudulent means and such marriages cannot be termed as marriages for the purposes of unlawful conversion”.
The 2021 law, which penalises forcible or fraudulent religious conversion through marriage, was notified by the BJP government on June 15. The original Act was in force since 2003 and its amended version was passed in the Assembly in April.
Last month, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind filed a petition in the HC, claiming that some of the amended sections of the new law were unconstitutional. The HC also stayed the operation of Section 5, which according to the BJP government, is the “core” of the entire Act.
Controversial statement by Nitin Patel
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel has said that talks about India’s Constitution, laws and secularism will last only as long as Hindus are in majority in the country, and none of the country’s “courts, Lok Sabha, Constitution, secularism” will remain in case Hindus are reduced to a minority.
Related link
https://siyasat.net/2021/08/28/गुजरात-उप-मुख्यमंत्री-नि/
“Those talking about the Constitution, laws, secularism will continue to do so only as long as Hindus are in majority in this country. May god prevent this from happening, but if in another 1,000-2,000 years, the number of Hindus reduces, and (the number of) people from another religion increases, there will be no courts, Lok Sabha, Constitution, secularism…they will all vanish in thin air, nothing will remain,” he said.
Addressing an event on Friday to mark the idol installation ceremony at a temple of goddess Bharat Mata in Gandhinagar organised by Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), he added that he was not talking about all the Muslims or Christians, as a large number of them are patriots.
“I do not talk about all of them. Thousands and lakhs of Muslims, Christians are patriots. Thousands of Muslims are in the Indian Army, hundreds of Muslims are in Gujarat police force. They are all patriots. But (I am talking about those) who are not,” he said.
Patel criticised a Muslim organisation (Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind) for challenging the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 – that seeks to stop religious conversions through interfaith marriages using force – and wondered why it was troubled by the law even when it is not religion-specific.
He said that the government brought an amendment to the Act after much deliberation due to the concerns raised over cases of “love jihad”.
“I have to ask those who have moved writ in the court, will you still challenge the Act if somebody (from another religion) takes away your daughter (for forcible marriage and converts her religion)?…I have to ask that organisation as to what is their objection to Hindu girls marrying Hindus, Muslim girls marrying Muslims, Christian girls marrying Christians, Sikh girls marrying Sikhs,” he said.
Patel said that when the law applies equally to a Hindu boy forcibly entering into a marriage and converting a Muslim girl, then why only the Muslim organisation was troubled by the law.
The Gujarat High Court had recently stayed several sections of the controversial Act till the pendency of the case.
“People of their community should (rather) issue public statements, hold press conferences, and thank (state Home minister) Pradipsinh (Jadeja), the BJP government, and say they support and welcome the law for ensuring the unity, safety of Gujarat and protection of its daughters from every religion. Why are they troubled, this I do not understand,” he said.
The BJP leader said that because of the landmark works of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the Centre, like removing Article 370, ensuring construction of Lord Ram temple, strengthening every religion.
Patel also thanked Jadeja for ensuring that Lord Jagannath Yatra in Ahmedabad and 157 other Yatras across Gujarat were taken out this year by taking precautions so that the number of COVID-19 cases do not go up.
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