NEW DELHI: Will BJP and its Sangh Parivaar cohorts continue to use Love Jihad as a campaign plank? Its vigorous espousal by leaders such as Adityanath doesn’t seem to have worked in Uttar Pradesh, given the dismal showing of the BJP in the recent by-elections there.It may not be easy to abandon the anti-Muslim rhetoric given that a great deal of effort seems to have gone into the science of how the supposed seduction of Hindu girls by Muslim boys for the purposes of conversion can be thwarted. Some of the suggestions: Sprinkle cow’s urine on the girls thus besotted, make them take salt-water baths , conduct pujas with lemon, educate them about the agonising life of a ‘jihadi’ woman and of course, restrict and monitor movements. These and more are part of “research findings” preached and practised by the Hindu Janjagruti Samiti , a Hindutva outfit based in Goa that earned notoriety by attacking MF Hussain’s exhibitions, shouting down plays on Mohamed Ali Jinnah, even opposing deodorant ads — for depicting Indian girls as “sex maniacs”.“We did an exhaustive study of cases for three years on Love Jihad. We brought out books too, but now we want to re-energise our efforts. It cannot be done unless parents realise their mistake in bringing up their daughters,” says Ramesh Shinde, national spokesperson of the Samiti.The issue is dealt with at length on the website. Here’s the genetic argument: “Hindu girls are the gene banks of Hindu culture. Allowing them to marry boys from other sects amounts to surrendering the invaluable genes of Hindu lineage to them. Do not allow this to happen.” There is also the glorification of chastity seasoned with a hint of sexual competitiveness. “Rajput women who sacrificed their bodies to fire, to safeguard their chastity from jihadis such as Allauddin Khilji, are our ideals,” according to the website. “Many of the Hindu girls trapped think jihadis are virile and Hindus, impotent.”Girls are advised not to go to beauty parlours where men cut women’s hair or massage them. Apparently, not giving their undergarments to anyone else for washing is a sure-shot way of escaping the clutches of Love Jihad as is refusing to accept betel leaves for paan, since this is one way in which evil energies are transmitted, along with nails, hair and clothes.Rooprekha Verma, former professor of Lucknow University who now runs Saajhi Duniya, an NGO that looks at women’s issues, says organisations like the Samiti rake up the Love Jihad issue to create fear and paranoia about love marriages and conversions among Hindu society by calling them an organised conspiracy by Muslims. “There are cases of love marriages everywhere and in some cases, there are conversions too. It is the right of every individual to decide whom to marry and no organisation with selfmade rules should ever prevent him/her from exerting that freedom.”But Shinde is not deterred by such appeals. “Give the girl gaumutra (urine of a cow of Bharatiya breed) to drink; also sprinkle some on her,” is one of the items on the prescribed list. The rules for the girls are simple — apply kumkum on your forehead, keep a safe distance from jihadis.