Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma faces significant backlash after proposing a stringent law against “Love Jihad,” suggesting life imprisonment as a penalty and imposing restrictions on land sales to Muslims.
During a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state executive meeting on Sunday, Sarma stated, “At the time of elections, we had spoken about Love Jihad. In the coming days, we will bring a new law that will introduce life imprisonment as a penalty for Love Jihad cases.”
The term ‘Love Jihad’ is used by Hindutva groups and the BJP to describe an alleged campaign by Muslim men to convert Hindu women through marriage. Some BJP-led states have already enacted laws to prevent such conversions and interfaith marriages.
Sarma also announced that land transactions between Hindus and Muslims in the state would require his approval.
“Earlier, there was inter-religious land transfers. Hindus’ lands were bought by Muslims, Muslims’ lands were bought by Hindus. The government cannot prevent such transactions but it has decided that for the land of a Hindu to be bought by a Muslim and vice-versa, there can be land sale permission only after the chief minister’s consent is taken,” he said.
Badruddin Ajmal, chief of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), condemned Sarma’s remarks, stating, “Every citizen of this country has a right to buy land in Assam. It is unfortunate that the chief minister has proposed to bring a law to restrict a section of people from buying land in the state. This is a gross injustice to the general people. Our party will vehemently oppose any such move by the government.”
Ajmal accused Sarma of attempting to appease Hindu voters ahead of the 2026 assembly elections and claimed that the chief minister is undermining the constitutional rights of Muslims.
“Majority of Hindu people in the country are secular and not communal. Himanta Sarma has repealed the Muslim Marriage Registration Act of 1935. This has made the citizens extremely unhappy. If any BJP leader asks the common people, he/she will understand the anger of the citizens,” he added.
In response to Sarma’s announcement, senior Supreme Court judge Sanjay Hegde remarked, “You don’t need 400 paar to hollow out the constitution, you only need a few courts to strategically look away. Ultimately the Constitution is what people make of it. The limitations upon power in a constitutional democracy would not reward such behaviour.”