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Lok Sabha elections: Samajwadi Party leader Maria Alam booked for ‘vote jehad’ appeal during election rally
In the public meeting, Salman Khurshid took part as the chief guest. The video of Maria Alam's statement has also gone viral on social media.
Samajwadi Party leader Maria Alam, the niece of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, has stoked a massive row after she appealed for ‘vote jihad’, terming it as necessary in the current situation of the country.
While addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Farrukhabad, Alam was quoted by PTI as saying,"Together do vote jehad -- with intelligence, without being sentimental and with silence. As we can only do vote jehad to drive away this Sanghi government."
“This Sanghi government will succeed in wiping out our existence. People say that the Constitution and democracy are under threat. But I say that insaniyat (humanity) is under threat,” the SP leader added.
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"Now there is an attack on 'insaniyat'. If you want to save the country, its beauty and 'ganga-jamuni' (composite) culture, then vote very intelligently without getting influenced by anyone," Alam added.
In the public meeting, Salman Khurshid took part as the chief guest. The video of Alam's statement has also gone viral on social media.
Asked to comment on the statement of his niece, Khurshid said generally he avoids using such words because its literal meaning is misinterpreted.
A complaint has been filed against the SP leader over her remarks. “A video of Maria Alam Khan, an SP leader, is going viral on social media, where she is seen asking for votes on religious grounds. This is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct. A written report was submitted at PS Kayamganj... The investigation will proceed accordingly,” Farrukhabad SP Vikas Kumar told ANI.
BJP's ‘radicalised’ jibe at Maria Alam
The Bharatiya Janata Party lashed out at the SP leader, with party's IT cell head Amit Malviya calling Khurshid's extended family ‘radicalised’.
“Shaming Muslims for supporting a non Muslim is a recipe for building an Islamic Caliphate. And the Congress claims to be ‘secular’. If an educated Salman Khurshid’s extended family is so radicalised, one can imagine the plight of ordinary Muslims. This is not to suggest that Salman Khurshid is any better but he does manage to hide his bigotry behind the glib talk,” Malviya posted on X.
“Muslims need to be saved from Muslim leaders, if they have to progress and emerge from their ghettos,” he added.
