The wedding announcement of a BJP leader’s daughter has ignited a social media frenzy. The bride, hailing from the Pauri region in Uttarakhand, is none other than Yashpal Benam’s daughter. However, the leader finds himself facing widespread criticism due to his daughter’s decision to marry a Muslim man.
The image of the wedding card has sparked considerable attention on social media, attracting both supporters and detractors of the BJP who are voicing their criticisms of Benam.
Amidst the situation, there are Hindutva hardliners who are engaging in trolling, targeting the former MLA and the saffron party, accusing them of “double standards.” In addition, some individuals are branding the marriage as an instance of “Love Jihad,” drawing a parallel to the controversial movie “The Kerala Stories” that was released recently.
A Facebook user expressed their concern over what they perceive as double standards within the BJP. They highlighted the fact that BJP-ruled states are granting tax exemptions to films like “The Kerala Story,” while a daughter of a BJP leader is marrying a Muslim man. The user speculated that such inconsistencies could potentially demoralize party workers.
The term “Love Jihad” is frequently employed by BJP leaders and right-wing activists to assert that Muslim men are involved in a scheme to entice Hindu women into religious conversion through the institution of marriage.
According to media reports, officials from the Pauri Temple Committee have expressed their apprehensions, stating, “This is a matter of concern. Marrying daughters of Hindu families to individuals from different religious backgrounds is viewed as a form of propaganda. In India, there have been changes in the laws pertaining to conversion, and the government has been demolishing tombs constructed by and for communities of other faiths on public properties. Yet, BJP leaders themselves are arranging marriages for their daughters with Muslim men”.
A committee member further said that people from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal should oppose this. “BJP is a party for the protection of Hindus. It should immediately expel such people from the party,” the man added.
Sources close to Yashpal Benam, speaking anonymously, disclosed that his daughter pursued her education at Lucknow University and has been in a relationship with the man she is planning to marry.
The wedding is scheduled to be held at a resort in Pauri on May 28th. It’s worth noting that Benam currently serves as the chairman of the Pauri Municipal Corporation. Previously, he secured victory as an independent candidate from the Pauri Assembly constituency in 2007.