Prof MH Jawahirullah flays Assam CM Himanta Biswas Sarma’s ‘Love Jihad’ Remark
CHENNAI – Prof MH Jawahirullah, MLA and President of Tamil Nadu-based political party Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), has welcomed the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that religious conversion is a matter of individual choice protected under the Constitution, even as he sharply criticised the Assam government’s move to draft a new anti-conversion law.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s decision quashing FIRs under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion Act, Jawahirullah said the judgment reaffirmed the constitutional guarantee of freedom of conscience and religion under Article 25.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that conversion is a purely personal decision, beyond the reach of state control,” he said. “It rightly equates the right to choose one’s religion with the right of consenting adults to marry — both being fundamental rights.”
The ruling, he said, has come at a time when several BJP-ruled states are weaponising so-called ‘anti-conversion’ laws against minorities. “These laws are not meant to protect freedom of religion, but to harass Christians and Muslims,” Jawahirullah asserted.
He singled out Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for promoting a “communal narrative” around conversion. “The Assam chief minister has repeatedly claimed that conversions are linked to ‘love jihad’ — a baseless and inflammatory idea that has no legal or factual standing,” Jawahirullah said. “When a chief minister makes such comments, it exposes the political intent behind the proposed law. It is not about preventing coercion; it is about policing personal faith and targeting minorities.”
Jawahirullah said existing provisions of the Indian Penal Code already deal with cases of fraud or coercion, and any new law would only deepen mistrust. “Instead of drafting divisive legislation, the Assam government should focus on improving education, employment, and interfaith understanding,” he said.
He added that the Supreme Court’s clarification “must serve as a reminder to all state governments that personal faith cannot be regulated by political ideology.”
