‘Make live-in illegal’: BJP MP calls ‘dangerous disease’, wants parents’ consent mandatory in love marriages

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BJP) MP from Haryana addressed the house during 'Zero Hour'. He called for legislative action against live-in relationships, labelling them a "dangerous disease". Singh emphasised the cultural significance of arranged marriages in India.

He noted that these marriages, often orchestrated by parents or relatives, have historically had low divorce rates. In contrast, he pointed out a rising trend in divorce rates in love marriages, attributing this to a deviation from traditional practices. "It is my suggestion that the consent of the mother and the father of the bride and groom be made mandatory in love marriages because, in large parts of the country, marriage does not happen in the same 'gotra' and due to love marriages there are a lot of conflicts in the villages," PTI quoted Singh as saying.

“Marriage is considered a sacred relationship that continues for seven generations. Divorce rate is about 1.1 per cent in India as compared with America which has a rate of about 40 per cent. It has been observed that the rate of divorce in arranged marriages is very less.

However, there is a lot of increase in divorce rate recently and the main reason for it is love marriages," Singh said. Singh cited the recent case of Shraddha Walkar and Aftab Poonawala in Delhi as an example of the adverse outcomes of live-in relationships. In this case, a man allegedly murdered his live-in partner, leading to widespread shock and condemnation.

“Such relationships are very common in Western nations but this evil is fast spreading in our society also and the consequences are horrible," the MP said. "I request the minister that a law be made against live-in relationships so that this dangerous disease can be eradicated from society," he added. (W