Salman Khurshid, niece Maria Alam booked for ‘vote jihad’ remarks

Both Khurshid and Khan were found to have violated the poll code at an election meeting in Farrukhabad’s Kaimganj where they were seeking votes for the INDIA bloc candidate from the Farrukhabad seat.

Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid and his niece and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Maria Alam Khan have been booked in a police case for allegedly trying to polarise an election campaign in Farrukhabad.

Asked to comment on the statement of his niece, Khurshid, as quoted by PTI, said he generally avoided using such words because its literal meaning was misinterpreted. (File)

Both Khurshid and Khan were found to have violated the poll code at an election meeting in Farrukhabad’s Kaimganj where they were seeking votes for the INDIA bloc candidate from the Farrukhabad seat. Khan, in Khurshid’s presence, reportedly exhorted her audience to go for ‘vote jihad’ on Sunday night.

The FIR was filed at the Kaimganj police station on Tuesday on a complaint by the in-charge of a flying squad team, Dr Manoj Kumar, who alleged that Khan’s statement was made to consolidate votes and polarise the election in favour of SP candidate Naval Kishore Shakya.

Indian Penal Code sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 295A (act done with intent to outrage religious feelings), and section 125 of the Public Representation Act (promoting or attempting to promote on grounds of religion, race, caste, community or language, feeling of enmity or hatred) have been invoked against the two.

Khan, who’s the district vice-president of SP’s women wing, had said, “If you (Muslims) don’t unite, your existence will be erased, so do ‘vote jihad’ to oust this government.” She urged voters to engage in strategic voting without getting emotional to save the Constitution.

Former external affairs minister Khurshid was present on dais.

Farrukhabad superintendent of police (SP) Vikash Kumar said Khan was seeking votes in the name of the religion, as per a video that was widely circulated online. “It is a clear case of violation of the model code of conduct. An FIR has been lodged against the incident,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khan was not available for her comments. People close to her she used the word ‘jihad’ metaphorically to imply struggle and not violence. She was urging the community to be aware of the conditions and exercise their voting rights in large numbers.

Asked to comment on the statement of his niece, Khurshid, as quoted by PTI, said he generally avoided using such words because its literal meaning was misinterpreted.

“Jihad means to fight against a situation. Her intention must have been to carry out vote jihad to protect the Constitution,” he said.