CHANDIGARH: The khap leaders of the Hindi heartland states have issued a diktat demanding a ban on live-in relationship, same-sex marriage and making parental consent mandatory in love marriages.
Representatives of approximately 300 khaps passed these resolutions during the ‘Sarv Jatiye Sarv Khap Sammelan’ (all-caste clan meeting) at Danoda village of Jind district in Haryana and threatened to stage a massive protest if their demands were not met.
Binain Khap chief Raghubir Nain said that representatives of around 300 khaps from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh held a meeting on Sunday and passed the resolutions. He added that if their demands are not met then they will launch an agitation.
“We request the government to ban live-in relationships as we have noticed that many men and women are staying in live-in relationships which is a dangerous trend. Their children have to suffer due to their parents’ misdeeds,’’ he said. Also, the same-sex marriages should be banned as even the animals avoid this.
He said they are not against love marriages, provided the parents give their consent. “Also no marriage should take place in the same village and neighbouring village besides the same gotra (sub-clan). We want to amend the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and keep 18 years as the legal age of marriage for girls. We will have a talk with the government in this regard,’’ he added. A 51-member-committee headed by Nain has been formed to hold talks with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and pressurise them to amend the laws.
300 khaps agree
Representatives of approximately 300 khaps passed these resolutions during the ‘Sarv Jatiye Sarv Khap Sammelan’ (all-caste clan meeting) at Danoda village of Jind district in Haryana and threatened to stage a massive protest if their demands were not met.