The Indian National Congress on Tuesday, 9 June accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately amplifying the Shamli religious conversion case ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, alleging the ruling party lacks substantive issues to contest the polls. The charge came as the conversion case itself grew more complex, with the man at the centre of the controversy publicly asserting he embraced Islam of his own free will.

Congress Calls It Political Opportunism

Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput said the BJP was attempting to manufacture a national controversy out of a matter that could be resolved at the local police level. 'Under the Bharatiya Janata Party government, various illegal activities are taking place. If two adults have converted their religion voluntarily, without any force, inducement, or pressure, then no one should have any objection. However, if the conversion involved coercion, greed, or temptation, then the police should certainly take strict action,' Rajput said.

He further argued that the BJP was weaponising the issue for electoral advantage. 'As the Assembly elections are approaching, the BJP does not have any real issues to contest the polls. Therefore, it is searching for issues that can be used for political gains. Such matters could be resolved at the police station level, but they are trying to project them as national issues. This strategy will not work anymore,' he added.

What the Shamli Case Involves

The case centres on Ayush Malik, a 30-year-old man from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, whose father — businessman Devraj Malik — filed a complaint alleging his son had been converted to Islam under the pretext of marriage. The complainant alleged that Chandni Qureshi, who had worked as Ayush's physiotherapist and gym trainer, developed a personal relationship with him before the two allegedly travelled to Delhi, where a nikah was conducted using what the complainant described as forged documents.

Devraj Malik further alleged the conversion had occurred several years earlier through a 'carefully planned process' linked to the promise of marriage. Acting on the complaint, police arrested Chandni Qureshi and her father, Islam Qureshi, and registered a case against nine individuals in connection with the alleged forced conversion.

Ayush Malik Rejects Coercion Claims

The central figure in the dispute, however, has directly contradicted the complaint. Ayush Malik said he converted willingly and has no intention of reverting. 'I willingly converted to Islam; no one forced me. FIRs are being filed against my family and I am being pressured to convert back to Hinduism. My family members are in jail right now; they have been arrested,' he said.

His statement places the case in direct legal and factual tension: the complainant alleges coercion, while the individual said to have been coerced denies it entirely.

Broader Political Stakes

Congress's Rajput also flagged what he described as the BJP's failure to address core voter concerns — unemployment, women's welfare, farmers' distress, and rising fuel prices — in Uttar Pradesh. He argued the government would be held accountable on these issues regardless of the conversion controversy.

This comes amid a pattern of religious conversion cases being raised in the political discourse ahead of state elections in Uttar Pradesh, a state that sends the largest bloc of seats to the Lok Sabha and remains a critical battleground. With elections drawing closer, the Shamli case is likely to remain a flashpoint between the BJP and opposition parties.