After ‘love jihad’, BJP unveils ‘land jihad’ in UP

Trust the BJP to always come up with something new. Having milked “love jihad” to the maximum for political gains, the saffron party’s youth wing has floated a new term among the public – “land jihad”. Notice how the word “jihad” is always thrown at the ignorant masses.

Maybe you are shaking your head in disbelief, or wondering wide-eyed and open-mouthed what “land jihad” is. Or possibly, you are from among those professedly apolitical ones who don’t care where the next hatred is coming from. Or maybe you are One Of Those who were suspecting such a conspiracy all along from India’s minority community.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s (BJYM) general secretary Deepak Sharma describes “land jihad” thus, according to a report in The Indian Express: “While Hindus are “continuously selling properties… Muslims are buying them”. And “their culture, thoughts and way of life are different from ours. It starts with one house and slowly, the whole area will become Muslim-dominated. We cannot allow this to happen”.

Get the idea?

The BJYM has busied itself in protesting against “land jihad”. And in case you are wondering which state is the new laboratory to test this idea – it is good old Uttar Pradesh, governed by saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath of hate speech fame.

The report describes allegations of such a conspiracy in Meerut, where right-wing groups are taking up the cudgels against alleged appropriation of government land by minority groups, as well as stealthy encroachment and “takeover” of majority-dominated residential areas.

Usman, a software engineer, reportedly purchased a property in the city, wanting to move from a one-room accommodation for a family of eight to a larger place. The previous owner, Sanjay Rastogi, had sold the new property to him for Rs 28.30 lakh.

But when Usman went to take possession of his new place, he was accosted by protesters – led by the BJYM – who accused him of “land jihad” and demanded that he return the property because “how will we live here if they move in?”

It is all carefully plotted, the BJP’s youth wing and affiliated outfits say.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) western UP convener Sudarshan Chakra was quoted as saying by The Times of India: “We want to draw attention of governments all over the country to those areas within the premises of government institutions and on government land, where a grave is converted into a mazaar (shrine) and within no time, a small mosque is built. And then anti-national activities are planned and promoted there.”

The right-wing outfits are now planning to campaign more aggressively against the “sinister plot”. Rastogi, meanwhile, has been asked to pay the purchase amount back to Usman within two months.

Why? Because the police have reportedly settled the case.