Manufacturing hate: From ‘love jihad’ to ‘corporate jihad’

By Ram Puniyani* 

A new phrase—“corporate jihad”—has been manufactured to malign educated Muslim youth. The term surfaced in Nashik, where allegations against Muslim employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) were amplified into a narrative of conversion conspiracies.  

Nashik had already been in the news for the case of Ashok Kharat, a self‑styled godman accused of sexually exploiting women through intimidation and manipulation. Despite the gravity of those charges, the Bajrang Dal and similar vigilante groups remained silent, as no Muslim angle was involved. By contrast, when a Hindu woman filed a complaint against a Muslim colleague, alleging broken promises of marriage, the police and vigilante machinery swung into action.  

The police claimed to uncover a “conversion racket” within TCS, alleging Muslim employees were coercing Hindu colleagues to read namaz and eat beef. The phrase “corporate jihad” was coined, and seven employees were suspended. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis praised the investigation, while Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran called the allegations “gravely concerning.”  

A fact‑finding committee comprising the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, PUCL, and senior journalist Niranjan Takle later challenged the police narrative. Their findings revealed inconsistencies: Nida Khan, labeled the “HR kingpin,” was in fact a tele‑caller transferred months earlier to Mumbai; no evidence of forced conversions was found; and one documented conversion involved a Christian woman adopting Hinduism. The committee dismissed claims of “forced beef consumption” as implausible.  

Takle argued the episode was designed to intensify hostility against Muslims. Human rights activist Teesta Setalvad added that the objective appeared to be discouraging companies from hiring Muslim youth. The committee criticized the media’s failure to cross‑check facts, contrasting its muted coverage of Kharat’s exploitation with its sensational reporting on the TCS case.  

The broader narrative fits a pattern. From “love jihad” to “Corona jihad,” communal forces have repeatedly deployed propaganda to stigmatize Muslims—whether in matters of marriage, public health, or now employment. These campaigns reinforce the trope of “Hindus in danger” and erode civil liberties.  

Serious investigations have consistently shown “love jihad” to be a manufactured construct. Cases such as Hadiya’s demonstrated women exercising free choice, yet propaganda films like The Kerala Story have fueled suspicion. The cumulative effect is a well‑oiled machinery of hate, targeting minorities through scattered, sub‑radar violence and social exclusion.  

Authorities must issue an honest report on the Nashik incident. Companies like TCS should repudiate false propaganda and reinstate employees wrongfully suspended, while ensuring genuine misconduct is punished. Without accountability, the cycle of manufactured hate will continue to marginalize minorities and corrode democratic freedoms.  

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*Political commentator