Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s niece, Maria Alam Khan addressed a Samajwadi Party rally in the Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday, 29th April, and asked Muslims to practice ‘Vote Jihad’. While addressing the people in the Imam Chowk area, Khan, in the presence of Khurshid, said that practicing ‘vote jihad’ is needed in the current situation.
“We must practice vote jihad very silently and smartly. We need not be emotional about this. We must unite to save the Constitution and that demands Vote Jihad. That is all that is in our hands. We all together need to get this Sanghi government out of power. Only then can we save the Constitution,” Maria Alam Khan could be heard saying. The video of her controversial address is making rounds on social media.
“वोट जिहाद जरूरी है .. वोट जिहाद करो”
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) April 30, 2024
– सलमान खुर्शीद की भतीजी मारिया आलम खां ने सपा प्रत्याशी की फ़र्रूख़ाबाद जनसभा में दिया बयान pic.twitter.com/VmqVPyI3Ei
Khan further added that all those Muslims supporting the BJP-led government should be barred from the community. “There are so many people who are currently in jail due to CAA-NRC. Amid this, all those supporting the people in power should face the ire. Salman Khurshid Sir is fighting for all Muslims and we should support him. You people are our power. We all are working for your betterment. The democracy is in danger. Think of your future generations and practice vote jihad,” she added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Salman Khurshid supported the statements made by Maria Alam Khan, and said that usually ‘vote jihad’ terminology is not used in the open as people misinterpret it. Khurshid said that ‘Jihad’ just means fighting with the situation. However, he supported the claims made by Khan that said ‘vote jihad’ must be practiced.
Apart from Salman Khurshid, former Congress MLA Lewis Khurshid, State General Secretary Prakash Pradhan, District President Shakuntala Devi, and many district-level Congress leaders were present during the meeting. SP candidate Dr Naval Kishore Shakya, former MLA Pratap Singh Yadav, Ajit Katheria, and Ramprakash Kallu Yadav also were present at the gathering.
BJP’s Rakesh Tripathi took cognisance of the inciden,t and slammed the opposition for making such controversial statements. While talking exclusively to Times Now, Tripathi said that till now, people were only being made aware of ‘love jihad’, and ‘land jihad’, but now ‘vote jihad’ has also come into the picture.
#BigNews: चुनाव में पहली बार वोट जिहाद की हुई एंट्री.. #PMModi के खिलाफ वोट जिहाद का आह्वान
— Times Now Navbharat (@TNNavbharat) April 30, 2024
👉कांग्रेस नेता सलमान खुर्शीद की भतीजी ने वोट जिहाद की बात की
👉देखिए, पूरे मामले पर क्या बोले #BJP नेता @rakeshbjpup @iamdeepikayadav @SwetaSri27 #LokSabhaElections2024 #MariaAlamKhan pic.twitter.com/JlUc2k1L0C
“These people are trying to misguide the people by asking them to practice vote jihad. The opposition is scared due to the massive development undertaken by the Modi government, even for the minority communities. So they are making attempts to misguide the Muslims. But all these efforts will go in vain. However, strict action must be taken against such leaders who make controversial remarks,” Tripathi said.
