More than one lakh complaints have highlighted a deliberate "love jihad" conspiracy wherein Hindu women were being lured into marriage by men using fake identities, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.
Targeting the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, Fadnavis claimed "vote jihad" was witnessed in 14 of 48 constituencies in Maharashtra in recent Lok Sabha elections.
Addressing a public event in Kolhapur city on Monday evening, Fadnavis pointed out instances wherein women were tricked into inter-faith marriage and subsequently abandoned after they gave birth to children. Fadnavis' remarks drew sharp reactions from Congress which accused him of violating the Constitutional oath and demanded an apology.
"A decade ago, we used to think that love jihad talk was a one-off incident. We thought it was not a conspiracy. We have now observed that there have been more than one lakh complaints where Hindu women are lured into marriage by running away with men from different faiths," said Fadnavis, who handles the state Home ministry.
Love 'Jihad' is an unofficial term used by Hindu groups to refer to an alleged campaign by Muslim men to convert Hindu girls under the pretext of love and marriage.
Fadnavis clarified that he was not against inter-faith marriages. "However, in many cases, individuals have used fake identities and provided false information about themselves for marriage. These individuals have also abandoned their spouses after they have had children together," the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said.
"This is not an act of love, but it is a deliberate conspiracy, and it is love jihad. It is a way of cheating and spoiling women from our religion," Fadnavis said.