Yogi Adityanath slams UDF LDF for not enacting laws to check

"love jihad", alleges both are corrupt
Kasaragod (Ker), Feb 21 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday raised the 'love jihad'
issue in poll-bound Kerala, slamming successive LDF and UDF
governments for not enacting any legislation to check it
despite "strong court observation".
Though the Kerala High Court had made observations
against 'forceful' religious conversion under the guise of
love in 2009, the subsequent state governments were
'sleeping', he said, kicking off the BJP's campaign for the
assembly polls in the state, likely by April-May.
He also alleged that the governments headed by the CPI
(M) and the Congress in the state indulged in corruption
activities and had not done anything for the people.
"In 2009, the Kerala High Court had said that Love Jihad
was prevalent here. However, the governments here did not take
any steps to counter that but instead were taking steps in
favour of it,"Adityanath said.
Inaugurating the state-wide "Vijay Yatra" led by BJP
Kerala president K Surendran, he said that in Uttar Pradesh
his government took stern action to deal with "love jihad" and
made laws to control it, apparently referring to religious
freedom laws to stop conversion through marriage or by any
other fraudulent means.
'Love Jihad' is a term used by right wing activists to
refer to an alleged campaign of Muslims forcing Hindu girls to
convert in the guise of love.
"The court had said that love jihad would turn the state
into an Islamic state. But the subsequent governments here are
not governing for the safety and security of the state or the
country. They did not take any steps to counter that. We need
to be more careful," he said.
Observing that there were indications of 'forceful"
religious conversions under the guise of "love" in Kerala, the
state high court on December9, 2009 had suggested the
government to consider enacting a law to prohibit such
"deceptive" acts.
"Under the pretext of love, there cannot be any
compulsive, deceptive conversion," the court had said.
The UP CM also said Kerala needs BJP now and it would
bring prosperity to the southern state and provide welfare
without any discrimination.
Slamming the Pinaryi Vijayan government on the
Sabarimala issue, the BJP leader accused the CPI(M)-led Left
Democratic Front of having worked against the sentiments of
the devotees.
But in UP, under the leadership of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, the foundation stone was laid for the
construction of Lord Rama temple, he said.
"The LDF govtis against Hindus and the faithful and the
Sabarimala issue is an example of it," he said.
He also criticised the state government for 'mishandling'
of theCOVID-19 situation.
Uttar Pradesh, which is the largest populated state with
24 crore people, has presently only around 2,000 active cases
because the state government truthfully followed all
instructions from the Centre on ways to tackle the virus, he
claimed.
"Why has the Kerala governmentfailed in controlling the
COVID situation? Earlier Kerala CM used to make fun of UP but
now the whole world is laughing at Kerala as the COVID
management is a complete failure," he said.
The youthof the southern state were forced to move to
other places in search of jobs, while in UP in the last four
years four lakh youth have been given employment, he claimed.
But the Kerala government was not interested inworking
for the people and not implementing the projects of the union
government, he said, adding it needs the Centre's money but
not the project or the name of Modi.
"They work only for the vikas of CPI(M) cadre, unlike the
BJP government which works for people of all sections of the
society," Adityanath said.
He also described both the LDF and UDF as symbols of
corruption.
Union Minister, V Muraleedharan, BJP state president K
Surendran, former Mizoram Governor, Kummanam Rajasekharan and
other senior state leaders were among those who attended the
inauguration of the Vijay Yatra.
The 15-day-Vijay Yatra, covering all major
constituencies in 14 districts of the state, is seen as the
official launch of the BJP's poll campaign.
Various union ministers and BJP's popular leaders and
star campaigners at the national level are expected to join
the yatra in coming days.
Union Minister Amit Shah is expected to inaugurate the
finale of the yatra at the state capital on March 7, party
sources said. PTI LGK RRT
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)