Kaithal: Giving in to pressure from khap panchayats which have been backing honour killings, Kurukshetra Congress MP Naveen Jindal today assured Haryana khap representatives that he would raise their demand for a change in the Hindu Marriage Act to disallow marriages within the same gotra.

The Congress dissociated itself from what it described as the “individual” remarks of its MP. Party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said “no customary law, tradition, practice can possibly be excused or condoned in any manner if it involves violation of the law of the land or approves killing of any kind”.

But INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala backed Jindal and met Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to press for a change in law to ban marriages within the same gotra.

“We are opposed to same gotra marriage. The INLD was the first to support it (the khap demand) as it is not right scientifically and medically. If Jindal or anyone else supports it, I am thankful to him,” Chautala told reporters.

Khap panchayats are demanding that Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 be amended to prohibit marriages within the same gotra and same village.

In Kaithal, Jindal showed up at the HUDA rally site and told representatives of the Sarv Jati Sarv Khap that he would raise their demand at a suitable forum.

His visit to the rally site assumes political significance given that elections to municipal councils in Haryana are to be held this month.

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