India News

RSS-affiliate Hindu Jagran Manch to launch ‘reverse love jihad’ in UP

Published

8 years ago

December 1, 2017

RSS-affiliate Hindu Jagran Manch to launch ‘reverse love jihad’ in UP

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Beti Bachao, Bahu Lao campaign of Hindu Jagran Manch aims at getting over 2100 Muslim girls in UP married to Hindu men to counter ‘love jihad’ by Muslim men

In an obnoxious drive aimed at spreading fear and hatred against the Muslim community, Hindu Jagran Manch – an affiliate of BJP’s parent organisation the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – is planning a statewide ‘reverse love jihad’ campaign across Uttar Pradesh. The campaign, titled Beti Bachao, Bahu Lao aims to get at least 2100 Muslim girls of the state married to Hindu men.

Coming at a time when the Supreme Court is presiding over a case related to the infamous ‘Kerala Love Jihad’ case – in which the marriage of a Hindu girl Akhila Asokan aka Hadiya to a Muslim man, Shafin Jahan has attracted the ire Akhila’s father and the Hindu right-wing who claim the marriage was a case of Hadiya’s entrapment by Shafin.

Both Hadiya and Shafin have constantly maintained that they married of their own will. However, several radical Hindu outfits are bent on ‘proving’ that the marriage was a case of ‘love jihad’ – a recent phenomenon coined by the Hindu fringe to allege that Hindu women were being trapped into love and marriage by Muslim men who would then force the women to convert to Islam and radicalise them.

According to a report in the Indian Express, the Hindu Jagran Manch – known for fomenting communal trouble in the past and for spreading hatred against the Muslim community – plans to begin its reverse love jihad campaign across UP next week. There is no word as yet on whether the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government, under chief minister Yogi Adityanath, would condone or oppose the move although the saffron party and Adityanath himself have in the past spoken against “rising cases of love jihad” by Muslims in India.

The name of the Hindu Jagran Manch’s campaign – Beti Bachao, Bahu Lao – is in itself a corruption of a pet project of the BJP – the Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao drive – which Prime Minister Narendra Modi repeatedly refers to while claiming that his government is working for women empowerment.

The idea behind the ‘reverse love jihad’ campaign of the Hindu Jagran Manch is worrisome to say the least. Though the outfit’s leaders claim that their Beti Bachao, Bahu Lao campaign would not require for the Muslim bride to convert to Hinduism, they also profess that it would “help curb India’s Muslim population” because the initiative would bring Muslim women into the Hindu faith and so their children will only add to the Hindu population!

Ajju Chauhan, UP-unit chief of the Hindu Jagran Manch told reporters about the campaign: “Only Hindu girls are being targeted by Muslim youths in love jihad. They hide their Muslim identity, wear sacred threat on wrists, tilak on forehead and even recite Hanuman Chalisa to trap Hindu girls”, while asserting that his outfit’s campaign was to “reverse the trend of love jihad by Muslims”.

In an utterly obtuse argument but one that is a reiteration of an old thought pushed by the RSS and BJP leadership against India’s Muslim community, Chauhan said: “If a Muslim girl is married into a Muslim family, she will have to deliver 10 children and when these children grow up they will speak against Hindus.”

Explaining how his outfit’s Beti Bachao, Bahu Lao campaign will curb population of Muslims from growing in India, Chauhan said: “If a Muslim girl is married into a Hindu family, she will not have to deliver 10 children… she will be an addition to the Hindu population.”

It may be recalled that in 2016, the Hindu Jagran Manch had launched a ‘save Hindu girl’ campaign in UP under which its leaders planned to hold classes to “educate” young Hindu boys and girls about the “ill-effects” of marrying a Muslim. The campaign was executed at schools run or supported by the RSS. The Hindu Jagran Manch had also distributed pamphlets that laid out an advisory for Hindu girls which listed directives like – “Check your suitor’s voter or Aadhaar card to ascertain his religion”, “Take him to a ‘mandir’ and see whether he accepts ‘prasad’ or not”, among many others.

Evidently, with a BJP government both at the Centre and in UP, the Hindu Jagran Manch feels more emboldened to carry out what is a blatantly communal agenda and one which would spread hatred against the Muslim community.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Delhi-NCR sees second spell of rain and thunderstorms in four days

Delhi-NCR experienced another spell of rain and thunderstorms on March 18, with IMD forecasting more showers over the next few days.

Published

3 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region witnessed another spell of rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds on Wednesday evening, marking the second such weather event in the past four days.

The sudden change brought relief from unusually high temperatures recorded earlier this month. According to officials, the temperature at Safdarjung — the city’s base weather station — was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius at 7 pm.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued an alert predicting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on March 18. Several areas across the capital experienced gusty winds along with brief but intense showers.

More rain likely over next two days

The weather department has forecast partly cloudy skies for March 19 and 20, with chances of light rain or thundershowers occurring once or twice during the day. On March 21, skies are expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of light showers continuing.

Conditions are likely to stabilise from March 23 onwards, with forecasts indicating a return to partly cloudy to clear skies across the region.

Weather activity across India to intensify

The IMD has also indicated widespread weather activity across multiple regions of the country in the coming days. Rainfall is expected to intensify in several states, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

In the northeastern region, heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya during the early part of the week.

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India News

Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

Published

6 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
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Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

India News

BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Published

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March 18, 2026

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.