Lucknow: Two days after he was convicted for his involvement in a case related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, BJP’s Khatauli MLA Vikram Saini advised women to apply henna at home on the occasion of Karwa Chauth, claiming that Muslims with such shops have other intentions — “love jihad”.
The Muzaffarnagar units of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal had put up posters around the city congratulating Hindu women on Karwa Chauth and advising them to provide employment to “their own people” and “those who themselves celebrate the festival”.
Saini had got bail in the riot case on the same day he was convicted.
“Muslims are opening multiple mehendi shops. Women are getting mehendi applied by Muslim youths at these shops. This is wrong. They have other intentions — love jihad. Nothing more than that,” he said Thursday when asked about these banners.
The BJP legislator alleged that “many such cases” were reported which is why he advised that henna be applied at home, “or at the beauty parlours opened by our sisters and daughters”.
“There is no need to go to the awaaras [vagabonds].”
In addition to the posters, the VHP and the Bajrang Dal had set up mehendi camps at 13 places where Hindu women applied henna to those celebrating Karwa Chauth.
A banner at one of these mehndi centres reads, “Apna tyohaar, apnon ko rozgaar, jihad par prahaar [our festival, employment for our people and attack on jihad].”
This story was originally published in theprint.in . Read the full story here
