Amid the love jihad row, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said a Hindu boy lying to a Hindu girl is also Jihad adding that the cabinet will bring a law against it.
While addressing a press conference, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Hindu boy lying to a Hindu girl is also Jihad. We will bring a law against it."
He asserted that Hindutva is a way of life and claimed that adherents of most religions are descendants of Hindus. Hindutva began 5,000 years ago and it cannot be stopped, the senior BJP leader said at a press conference organised to mark the completion of the second month of his government in the state.
"Hindutva is a way of life. How can I or anybody stop it? It has been flowing through the ages. Almost all of us are descendants of Hindus. A Christian or a Muslim has also descended from Hindus at some point in time," he said.
Hindutva cannot be "removed" as it will mean "moving away from one's roots and motherland", Sarma said. Asked about the opposition's criticism of him for his statement that MLAs are meant to frame laws and ministers responsible for the development of constituencies, Sarma claimed that this is what the Constitution of India says and "legislators are above ministers" in this regard in the assembly.
On Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi's statement that he will question the government at the assembly on alleged 'anti-people policies', Sarma said, "As the ruling party, the BJP will get three hours, as the main opposition party, the Congress will get one hour, while an Independent MLA will get three minutes and can ask within that time." "The BJP will not allow democracy to be hijacked but welcomes participatory democracy," he added.
On border tensions with neighboring states, Sarma said, "Some tension is going on in both Assam-Nagaland and Assam-Mizoram borders. Assam Police has been deployed to protect our constitutional boundary. Being the gateway to the northeast, we are always open to discussions but do not encroach on our land."
(With inputs from ANI)
