If you think Valentine’s Day is all about roses and chocolates, be ready for a shock this February 14 in Madhya Pradesh. For, vying with traditional symbols of love will be rakhis, whips, batons and maces, thanks to outfits like Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena, who have renewed their annual threat to teach lovers a lesson. Couples in Jabalpur will have to either get married or live like brother and sister if caught by Hindutva activists. A vivah rath (marriage chariot) manned by Dharma Sena and Durga Vahini activists will look for such couples. “If they refuse to get married, girls will have to tie rakhis on the boys,” Yogesh Agrawal of the Sena said. The rath will have enough stocks of safa, garlands and, of course, rakhis, he said, and added, “If they love each other why should they be against marriage?” In Gwalior, Sena activists will not offer any choices. They will simply blacken the face of couples and parade them on donkeys. “We will go to any extent to defend our culture,” member Narendra Singh Tomar said. Restaurants, gift shops and halls will be damaged if they promote the concept, he said. In Indore, the first option is marriage and the second, the police station. “Someone has to oppose this onslaught of Western culture. The country became independent only because someone took the first step towards achieving freedom from the West,” Mahesh Sharma of Shiv Sena said. Bhopal will see the maximum action if at all couples dare to come out because the Bajrang Dal had organised Shastra Pujan a couple of days ago. They burned the posters and banners in protest against the February 14 celebrations. Former RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said, “No one should oppose Valentine’s Day but addresses of couples should be taken and their parents convinced to marry them off. It’s not proper to be with a new partner every year.” Taking on the Hindu activists will be a host of organisations like NSUI, Savarna Samaj Party, NCP, National Secular Front and CPI(M). NSUI’s Mukesh Gajbhiye said that 12 batches of cadre will move around the city carrying whips to teach Bajrang Dal activists a lesson if they harass couples. “Even we are against kissing in public or making indecent gestures but why harass others?” he asked. Dukhtaran also warns SRINAGAR: Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) has issued a warning to the state Tourism Department against encouraging “immoral acts” on Valentine’s Day. It has also asked hoteliers and youth to refrain from arranging Valentine’s Day parties in Kashmir. “The government is encouraging immorality in Kashmir,” DeM chairperson Syeda Aasiya Andrabi said. “This is part of a well-planned conspiracy”. Critical of the Tourism Department’s discount offers for celebrations, the DeM chief said: “We appeal to parents to stop their wards from attending such immoral parties.” —ENS
