EC seeks legal opinion on BJP candidate’s ‘love jihad’ remark in Kerala

The Election Commission has sought a report from the Thiruvananthapuram district collector over remarks made by BJP candidate P K Krishnadas, who said that a victory for the Left Democratic Front or the United Democratic Front in the Kerala Assembly elections would lead to incidents of “love jihad” in the state.

The poll body has also asked for a legal opinion on whether the remarks amount to hate speech.

Rathan U Kelkar said the office of the Chief Electoral Officer would examine the speech.

At a rally on Sunday, Krishnadas, the BJP candidate from Kattakada, said organisations such as the Social Democratic Party of India and Jamaat-e-Islami would influence a government formed by either the Left Democratic Front or the United Democratic Front.

He also claimed that Hindu and Christian girls would be targeted and recruited under the guise of “love jihad” for anti-national activities in Kerala.

Krishnadas further said that governments led by Marxists or the Congress would be controlled by “Pakistan-friendly anti-national groups”.

The speech was delivered at a rally attended by Amit Shah. According to reports, Krishnadas spoke after Shah had left the venue.

Responding to the controversy, Krishnadas said his remarks were not directed against any religion and that he stood by his comments. He said he would reply legally to any notice from the Election Commission.

“Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory promoted by Hindutva groups that claims Muslim men lure Hindu women into relationships to convert them to Islam. The Union Home Ministry has previously told Parliament that there is no legal definition of the term.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar distanced the party from the remarks, saying the BJP did not agree with the views expressed by Krishnadas.

Kerala will vote in a single phase on Thursday, while counting will take place on May 4.