A BJP leader in Uttarakhand, Yashpal Benam, chairman of the Pauri Municipal Corporation and a former MLA, called off his daughter’s wedding to a Muslim man after the wedding invite went viral inviting outrage on social media. The wedding was scheduled for May 28 in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal. Benam said that he did not want the wedding to take place under police protection and he called it off since he “respects public sentiments”. The wedding has been postponed.
“My daughter was going to get married to a Muslim youth. Keeping in view the happiness and future of the children, both families had decided to get them married, for which the cards were also printed and shared. But after the invitation card for the wedding went viral on social media, many types of things came to the fore objecting to the wedding,” Benam told Hindustan Times.
The wedding has been called off for the time being until the controversy settles down.
Some right wing outfits in the area even burnt his effigy in protest. “We strongly oppose such a marriage,” the working president of district VHP Dipak Gaud had said, reported India Today. Protests were carried out by VHP as well as Bajrang Dal (Kotdwar).
“There are people of all kinds in this world. Some talked to me politely and others were harsh in their comments. But their anger is justified according to them, just like my love for my daughter is justified according to me… (The groom’s family) are good people, and neglecting them just because they are Muslim is not a good thing. Several people warned me against this marriage, saying this will put my political career in jeopardy. But I said that for me, my daughter’s happiness is important, and my political career is separate,” he said, as reported by Indian Express.
Uttarakhand BJP media in-charge Manveer Chauhan, when contacted by IE, said, “This is their personal matter and we will not interfere. However, BJP’s ideology is that if someone is involved in forced conversion or lures our daughters to convert them to make them terrorists, we are against that.”
Mohan Gowda, Karnataka Spokesperson, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti took to Twitter to express his views on this and said, “Uttarakhand Staunch BJP leader Mr. Yashpal Benam daughter is marrying a Muslim boy. Mr Benam is Chairman of Pauri Municipal Corporation. This is Because of Lack of Hindu Sansksar to daughters, jihadi are targeting BJP leaders’ daughters, wife’s (sic)”.
Benam said he does not care about such comments. He said the wedding is after the consent of both families and in this day and age everybody is entitled to their own choice.
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