A "Love Jihad" pamphlet circulated in Vadodara
Pamphlets on "Love Jihad" being discreetly circulated in parts of Vadodara in Gujarat are being investigated by the police.
The pamphlets, written in Gujarati, name the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as the source and have apparently been printed at a press in Rajkot.
They begin by asking - "Do you want to Become a Prostitute? No? Then Read, Think and Behave" - and go on to list statistics that claim an increasing number of Hindu women are being lured by Muslim men into marriage, and are living as "second, third or fourth wives."
Hindi films are blamed for facilitating "Love Jihad", the term used by pro-Hindu groups for what they call an Islamist strategy to seduce and convert Hindu women.
"For the last 10 years, dons like Dawood Ibrahim, Haji Mastan have spent crores in Hindi films and serials. Hindu priests and saints are shown in a bad light in these films and serials whereas Muslim clerics are shown in a good light. Hindu girls are shown romancing Muslims heroes in films, Muslims boys get influenced by this and as part of an international conspiracy they dress up well and roam around in motorbikes to trap our Hindu daughters and sisters," the pamphlets say.
The VHP, which is affiliated to the ruling BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has refused to talk about the pamphlets but some insiders say the organization does release "awareness campaign" material "from time to time."
The Vadodara police say they are investigating the leaflets.
Vadodara will hold by-polls this Saturday after Prime Minister Narendra Modi vacated the seat and chose to retain his other constituency, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP last month avoided the term "love jihad" when it adopted forced conversions as a campaign issue for the by-polls in key states including Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. But some of its members have been less circumspect. Among them is BJP MP Yogi Adityanath, who has been accused of making inflammatory statements in Uttar Pradesh, where polls will be held in 11 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat on Saturday.