Just over a week after securing bail in a hate speech case, former MLA and senior BJP leader PC George has once again stirred a controversy by urging Christian families to marry off their daughters before they reach the age of 24, so that they can prevent the threat of “love jihad”.
Speaking at an event organised by the KCBC Temperance Commission in Pala on Sunday, PC George urged Christian families to marry off their daughters before they reach the age of 24. He claimed this would help prevent them from falling victim to what he described as the growing threat of ‘love jihad’
He alleged that nearly 400 girls from Meenachil taluk had fallen victim to love jihad, of which only 41 could be brought back
, “In Meenachil taluk of Kottayam alone, 400 girls were victims of inter-religious marriages. And out of which only 41 could be brought back.” George said
The BJP leader also commented on the marriage age for girls, particularly in Christian families, and suggested that girls should be married off by the time they are 22. He said parents should be aware of the reality and make sure their daughters are married earlier.
“Christian parents wait for the girls to turn 25 and 30 to marry them off. Even yesterday, a girl in Bharananganam went missing. She is 25. They are still searching for her. Shouldn’t we slap her father who didn’t marry her off early. Shouldn’t the parents show the decency to get the girls married off when they turn 18 and should keep them only till they are 22 at maximum,” George said
The Muslim Youth League lodged a complaint in Pala against George. Previously, the same organization had filed a complaint regarding his alleged hate speech during a TV debate, which had led to his arrest .The Youth League has also accused him of violating the bail conditions set in that earlier case.
In this connection, another complaint has been filed against George at the Thodupuzhapolice station over his Pala speech .Bilal Samad, president of the Youth Congress in the Thodupuzha constituency, has filed the complaint with the Thodupuzha police against George over his recent remarks on ‘love jihad’.