Opposing the recently released government resolution against inter-faith marriages by the Maharashtra government – mainly to target Muslims in the name of love-jihad, several women organisations recently held a demonstration at Dadar Railway Station in Mumbai demanding withdrawal of the resolution.
Terming that the Government Resulution (GR) issued by the government against the inter-faith marriages is against the constitution, S.Fransis, a representative from Janwadi Mahila Sanghatan, said, “Every citizens have a constitutional right over selection of food whatever they like, clothes whatever suits to them and live a life wherever they found it appropriate beside tying a knot with whomever they like the most.”
However, she said, the BJP led Maharashtra government is trying hard to snatch the rights of the citizens guaranteed in the constitution. A particular community is being targeted and persecuted in the name of love-jihad and threatened with stricter laws against them.
Demanding that the Government should withdraw from the GR to check inter-faith marriages, she said, the government’s move tentamounts to abuse and we will fight tooth-and-nail against the order. “Everyone has a constitutional right to tie a knot with whomever they like the most according to their wish and mutual consent,”she explained.
It is said that a complaint was also lodged in the Women‘s Commission by different women organisations seeking its intervention into the matter.
“Earlier, the government issued a GR against inter-caste marriages and when it was opposed, they come up with a fresh one wrapping it under the gripe of inter-religion marriages simply to target a particular community in the name of checking love-jihad cases,” rued S.Fransis.
Raising concern over the issue, Shobha Koketkar, another leader from Stree Mukti Sanghatana, said, “Government is busy in implementing decisions which are anti constitutional instead of addressing the issues faced by the women community and youth of the country and rolling out facilities for them. Women folk are facing hardship in running their families while unemployment and inflation are skyrocketing every moving day while the government is taking keen interest in racking issues considered as communically sensitive.”
