‘Love believes in no barrier, but if…’ BJP’s Pankaja Munde on ‘love jihad’

While addressing a press conference in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Munde said, “…I believe love is love. Love believes in no barrier. If two people have come together purely out of love, it should be respected. However, if a woman is tricked into an interfaith marriage, it should be seen differently.”

During the conference, she also added that “no such subject as ‘love jihad’ has even been on the agenda of the Modi government and discussions are always centered on development and redevelopment.

“No such subject as ‘love jihad’ has even been on the agenda of the Modi government. The discussions are always centred on development and redevelopment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus is to put the country on the road to development and progress in the next 25 years,” she said.  

Meanwhile, Pankaja’s statement in Madhya Pradesh seem to contradict to what CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had earlier said. Chouhan had said that his government took a serious view of ‘love jihad’, ‘religious conversion’ and promotion of ‘terrorist activities’ and won’t allow such practices in the state.

“We are getting into the depth of the facts that have come to the fore in connection with the HuT members. What is clear is that we have taken the issue of love jihad, religious conversion and promotion of terrorist activities very seriously. I want to make it clear that neither love jihad nor the vicious cycle of religious conversion would be tolerated in the state,” CM Chouhan earlier said.

Who is Pankaja Munde?

Pankaja is late Gopinath Munde’s daughter who was a senior BJP leader and a Union minister. Gopinath Munde, a former deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, was appointed as the rural development minister by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he assumed office in 2014. He died in a road accident on June 3 of that year. 

Pankaja served as the minister of rural development, women and child welfare in the BJP-Shiv Sena government between 2014 and 2019 when Devendra Fadnavis was the chief minister. However, after losing to her estranged cousin and Nationalist Congress Party leader Dhananjay Munde in the 2019 assembly elections, she was rarely seen on the party’s stage. Some of her comments also seemed to suggest that she was not happy with her party. “There are many well-wishers of me, even in other parties. But I am not going to cry every now and then. I did not shed tears even when I lost my father,” she said. Former Maharashtra Congress president and leader of the legislative party Balasaheb Thorat had also said that Pankaja could join his party. “The Congress doors are open for Pankaja tai. Others are also ready to welcome her,” he said. Throat said one cannot deny that she is having a feeling of injustice being done to her. He added, “She is the daughter of late Gopinath Munde, who had excellent relations with everyone cutting across party lines. He contributed to BJP’s growth in Maharashtra. It is sad she is being sidelined.”

(With inputs from agencies)

Updated: 12 Jun 2023, 09:36 AM IST