In the midst of the BJP-RSS-ABVP’s communal and patriarchal campaigns opposing live-in relationships and the so-called ‘love jihad’, AISA held a ‘Love Azaad’ convention on 17 October 2014 at the Gandhi Peace Foundation (GPF) in Delhi, exposing the lies of the love jihad campaign. The convention, which was attended by several students from Delhi University (DU), Jamia Millia Islamia as well as JNU, was addressed by AIPWA secretary Kavita Krishnan. Comrade Kavita pointed out that through the love jihad campaign, all Hindu-Muslim and Hindu-Christian relationships are being painted as grand communal conspiracies to ‘trap’ women. Filmmaker Nakul Sawhney who has travelled extensively in Uttar Pradesh to document the RSS_BJP’s ‘love jihad’ campaign, talked about the manner in which this campaign is being orchestrated in UP. He also showed several film clips documenting how ‘women’s security’ was being used to curtail women’s freedom, and to carefully create an anti-minority sentiment in UP. Several common students also spoke at length at the convention about the experiences of inter-Religious/inter caste/inter community/relationships in their own families, villages and cities.
AISA has started a campaign in all three universities in Delhi – DU, JNU and Jamia – against the myth of ‘Love Jihad’ that was being propogated by the ABVP and other right wing organizations. In the
course of this campaign, AISA activists distributed pamphlets and campaigned in at least 40 colleges in DU. During the campaign AISA activists exposed the ABVP’s campaign against live-in relationships,
which is an absolutely uncalled for intrusion in the personal lives and relationships of adults.
