Love & jihad don't go hand in hand; Nusrat Jahan faces backlash for her remarks ahead of elections

If Trinamool Congress MP Nusrat Jahan is to be believed then 'love' and 'jihad' don't go hand-in-hand and just before polls, people come up with topics like this. She was speaking at a press conference where she further requested that religion should not be made a political tool.

It is a personal choice

Addressing a press conference, the Lok Sabha MP said, "It is a personal choice who you want to be with. Be in love and start falling in love with each other. Don't make religion a political tool."

The 2021 Assembly elections, due in April, will see a direct contest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Jahan herself is married into a Hindu family as the actor-turned-politician is married to businessman Nikhil Jain and has reportedly called it an adverse incursion into someone's private life.

Twitter however reacted otherwise and questioned, "What are your thoughts on forceful conversion in the pretext of love and marriage and hiding the true identity of the person?"

Another user posted, "Love is personal then why someone wants to change the religion of females...? When you hide your identity and make someone in love ...why then you need to change her name and religion ...? This is jihad my friend...we all know about love."

Jahan had given her thoughts on the 'Love-Jihad' law that has been proposed by some BJP ruled states. Jahan has already faced the fury of hardliners as she practices Hindu religion and wears vermillion on her head. She stated that some political parties gain mileage by making religion and personal choice a political tool. "India is a democracy and what you eat, who you marry are personal choices," she added.

'No discrimination in West Bengal'

She stated that in West Bengal there are no discriminations on the basis of caste, creed, gender or religion under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. She seemed to have hit the rod while it is hot as some BJP ruled states are mulling an anti 'Love Jihad' law.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had recently announced that a law will be enacted by his government in order to curb "love jihad" that encourages forcible religious conversion post marriage.

In February, it was clarified by the Home Ministry that under the existing laws, the term "love jihad" is not defined.