Ashok Gehlot said that ‘Love Jihad’ was coined by BJP to divide the nation in order disturb communal harmony,

The Rajasthan Chief Minister in a series of tweets slammed BJP's intent to divide the nation by introducing the far-right conspiracy theory.

The Rajasthan Chief Minister in a series of tweets slammed BJP's intent to divide the nation by introducing the far-right conspiracy theory.'Love Jihad' is used to describe the unsubstantiated phenomenon in which Muslim men convince Hindu women to marry them, forcing them to convert to Islam. Though the term love jihad itself is recent, the idea can be traced back to the 1920s. According to historian Charu Gupta, the Arya Samaj printed pamphlets full of propaganda about the Hindu woman as a victim and a Muslim man as a perpetrator.

On November 20, 2020, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot lashed out at the BJP government, accusing it of using the term 'Love Jihad' to divide the nation and disturb communal harmony. He added that marriage is a personal decision, and BJP putting curbs on it is them taking away personal liberties.

In the recent past, incidents such as the 2016 Hadiya case have drawn national attention and fueled speculation. In 2018, the Supreme Court of India found that the allegations made by Hadiya's parents that she had been brainwashed, were false and reversed the court decision that had annulled her marriage.

Despite this, in places like Western Uttar Pradesh, love jihad scaremongering has led to police investigations. Uttar Pradesh and other BJP led states such as Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have promised to enact laws to counter love jihad. On November 25, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet cleared an ordinance that makes a marriage conducted for the sole purpose of conversion null and void; those found guilty may face up to 10 years imprisonment.

While it is true that Gehlot made the statement, whether love jihad has been initiated to create discord or not is beyond the scope of this claim.