UP BJP Expels 6 Muslim Members, One Accused of 'Love Jihad' in Amroha – Party Tightens Background Checks
In a major development, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expelled six Muslim members from its fold for criminal activities and fake membership. Among those expelled is Tanish Asgar, a member of the BJP Amroha Minority Front, who was accused of indulging in 'love jihad', a term often used in political parlance to describe alleged forced conversions through marriage.
According to a formal letter released by the district BJP president in Amroha Udaygiri Goswami, Tanish Asgar has been expelled from the organization for "cheating and marrying" a young girl from Shahjahanpur under the pretext of his fake identity, then compelling her abortion. An FIR was registered against him, and he was apprehended as a complaint filed against Asgar at the Noida Sector 113 police station. In the letter, Goswami was very adamant that persons who have a criminal history or who join the party fraudulently do not fit within the BJP.
BJP expelled five more members- Ali Raza Bablou, Wasim Parvez, Ghulam Askari Bhutto, Nisar Haider, and Kashif Roni. The five expelled were said to have had "criminal tendencies and fake memberships". The BJP's swift action has triggered a broader response within the party, particularly from the UP Minority Wing. The state’s minority wing leader, Basit Ali, called for an immediate background check of all party members to ensure that individuals with criminal histories do not hold positions of responsibility. This move aims to maintain the integrity of the BJP's minority wing and weed out unwanted elements.
This incident throws into relief the growing significance of background checks in political parties, especially as India's political landscape continues to change with increasing attention on identity politics. The action taken by the BJP in Amroha forms part of a larger initiative that ensures only those who have a clean record stay attached to the party, particularly in areas where communal dynamics are complicated.
As the UP BJP continues to go through its internal reviews, 'love jihad' and how the party deals with minority members are still a topic of hot debate in Indian political discourse. The Amroha incident brings to the fore the challenges that political parties face in dealing with diverse membership while addressing contentious issues.
