West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state will introduce strict laws against “love jihad”, “land jihad” and forceful religious conversion.
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“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already abrogated Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution. The West Bengal will introduce Uniform Civil Code. Have faith. Give us some time. We will bring strict and tough laws against love-jihad, land jihad and forceful religious conversion,” Adhikari said.
‘Love jihad’ is a term largely used by right-wing groups to describe marital relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women, though the courts and the Centre do not officially recognise the term.
Adhikari was addressing a program organised to mark the 189th birth anniversary of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and commemorate 150 years of Vande Mataram in Kolkata. Earlier in the day, he told reporters that the government was likely to introduce a bill on UCC on Monday during the ongoing Budget session.
“UCC will be implemented in West Bengal. There is a procedure which has to be followed. A committee headed by a sitting judge has to be set up. Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Assam have done it before. I will tell in the assembly on Monday,” he said.
The BJP, in its poll manifesto ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, promised to implement the UCC within six months of taking charge.
Adhikari also said that the new government had transferred land to the Border Security Force (BSF) on one hand while building holding centres in border districts soon after taking charge. The government also made singing of “Vande Mataram” mandatory during assembly prayers in all state-run schools and madrasas.
“People are being forced to stand up as it is a government order, but not all are moving their lips. They have to move their lips. It will take some time. Have faith. We will even ensure that,” said the chief minister (TODAY?)
