Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said against Jihad increasing in the country. In an Exclusive interview with NDTV CM Sarma spoke on several issues that ranged from ‘Love Jihad’ to the ‘Gujarat Riots’. In the interview, CM Sarma said that Hindus are peace-loving. They do not indulge in rioting. Hindus as a community do not even believe in Jihad. Moreover CM Sarma mentioned that in the Shraddha Walker murder case, there is evidence of love jihad. He further said, “I see it as a politics of appeasement by some. It is a concern for the security of women. There is evidence of love jihad in Shraddha murder case. Even in Aaftab Poonawala’s polygraph test, it is said he revealed his action will take him to Jannat. There are reports on it.” Notably, ‘Love Jihad’ is a used by right-wing groups and activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam through marriage.
In the same interview CM Sarma went on to say that madrassas in Assam had been bulldozed in accordance with the law as well as the consent of people of the area, including those who have constructed the madrassas.CM Sarma’s comments are construed as a brazen admission of the ruling BJP’s view on who propagates communal violence in the country.