Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s niece, Maria Alam Khan recently gave a clarion call for Muslim voters to practice ‘Vote Jihad’, sparking a debate about the plummeting level of discourse and desperation among the politicians of the opposition ranks. Notably, she made the contentious remarks on 29th April while addressing a Samajwadi Party rally in the Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
In the presence of her uncle Salman Khurshid, Maria Khan said that practising ‘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.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Salman Khurshid supported Khan’s remark 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.
However, Khan’s clarion call for vote jihad highlights the brazen communal outreach and has drawn widespread commendation. It has also brought attention to the use of the Jihadi playbook and Islamist, Hinduphobic jibes by the so-called secular politicians of the I.N.D.I. Alliance. Incidentally, on several occasions, leaders of the I.N.D.I. Alliance have implored the Islamist warcry that has an undertone for baying blood, harming rivals to rally and consolidate their Muslim vote bank against the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Modi government, ironically charging it of being a “communal force”.
“Secular” politicians invoke ‘Jihad’, a religious war that terrorists and Islamists have invoked to kill non-believers, Kafirs
It is pertinent to note that ‘Jihad’ is an Islamic theological construct that is one of the most sacred duties that pious Muslims are meant to perform. The word “Jihad”, is an Arabic word which means “struggle”. Jihad is the struggle for the cause of spreading Islam, using all means available to Muslims, including violence. This kind of Jihad is often referred to as the “Holy War”.
Over the course of history, several terrorists and radical outfits have waged ‘Jihad’ against non-Muslims or those who are considered non-believers in the word of Prophet Mohammad, denounce the concept of “There is no God but Allah” or are pejoratively referred to as Kafirs (infidels) by the followers of Islam.
Despite the well-established and theological foundation of the Islamist words which incidentally has been a warcry for terrorist and extremist outfits, opposition politicians have used these outrightly communally defined words in the garb of protecting secularism from the “communal” measures and biases of BJP.
Mamata Banerjee calls for “Jihad against BJP”, makes Kafir jibe asserting Kafirs has to eventually die
In the last week of June 2022, Mamata Banerjee drew ire for calling upon her party cadres and supporters to launch a “jihad against the BJP”. Notably, while addressing a public gathering in Asansol, Banerjee called upon her party cadres and supporters to launch a ‘jihad’ against the BJP from 21st July, a day when her party was slated to observe as ‘Shahid Diwas’ (martyr’s day).
মুখ্যমন্ত্রী মমতা ব্যানার্জী বিজেপির বিরুদ্ধে 'জিহাদ' করবার ডাক দিয়েছেন।
— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) June 28, 2022
একজন মুখ্যমন্ত্রী হয়ে তিনি হিংসাকে আরো উস্কে দিতে চাইছেন? অন্য মতাদর্শে বিশ্বাস করলেই 'জিহাদ'?
তার এই শব্দ চয়ন ভয়ঙ্কর কিছুর বার্তা দিচ্ছে… pic.twitter.com/2TFrcHbRzh
The BJP had launched a scathing attack against her for her contentious and Islamist remarks. Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the opposition, had slammed Mamata Banerjee saying her hate speech indicated her “jihadi” mindset. He asserted that Banerjee issued the appeal for ‘jihad’ against BJP keeping in mind her Muslim vote bank.
Later, the then West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar asked her to withdraw her remarks pointing out that “authoritarian and undemocratic” statements like that would bring the “death knell” of democracy and rule of law.
However, despite receiving harsh criticism, Mamata Banerjee defended her ‘Jihad against BJP’ remark at the India Today Conclave East 2022, calling it the “state’s local language”.
Later, on 22nd January 2024, the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi consecrated Ram Lalla’s idol in Ram Mandir, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly gave an inciting speech where she implored Islamists warcry.
Addressing the gathering at Park Circus Maidan, she issued a stern warning to those who support or vote for BJP. She said, “Ek bat yaad rakhna, BJP ko madad mat karna, BJP ko agar tum log madad karoge koi to Allah ki kasam aap logo ko koi mafi nhi karega hum to mafi nhi karenge.” (Translated – Do remember one thing, don’t support/assist/vote for BJP. I am swearing on Allah if you help/assist BJP, nobody would forgive you, let alone me.)
In her address at Circus Maidan during the ‘Sarv Dharm Sambhav’ rally, she also reportedly said, “Jo Kafir hain, woh darte hain, Jo ladte hain, woh jeet te hain.”
Kafir is a pejorative jibe used by Islamists to refer to anyone who doesn’t believe in Islam, polytheists, and idol worshippers even calling for direct harm (annihilation of their existence).
Shivraj Patil defends Jihad as a viable last option when everything fails
Likewise, UPA-era Home Minister Shivraj Patil had once defended the use of Jihad as a ‘viable last plan’ of action to achieve something good albeit while claiming that Lord Krishna taught Jihad to Arjun in the Bhagwad Gita. He made the bizarre analogy during the launch of the biography of Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai.
On 20th October 2022, Shivraj Patil asserted, “There is a lot of discussion about Islam. And our work in the Indian Parliament is not about Jihad but ideals. Jihad is only evoked when all efforts, undertaken with a clear mind, fail.”
The former Home Minister further alleged, “It is said that when all efforts fail, one can use power (Shakti) against the other.” Patil drew false equivalence between the Dharmic concept of Shakti and Jihad, a term used by Islamists to kill and maim non-Muslims across the globe.
“The concept of Jihad is not limited to the Quran but also the Bhagavad Gita, which is a part of Mahabharata,” he continued. “Lord Krishna had taught Arjuna about Jihad (In Bhagwat Gita). And Jihad does not exist only in Hindu and Islamic scriptures. It is also present in the Holy text of Christians,” he insinuated.
The UPA Minister was alluding to the fact that the opposition has attempted too many failed bids in its fight against the Modi government. Pertinent to note that Patil had served as the Minister in the UPA government when the grand old party had coined the term ‘saffron terror’ and tried to whitewash the crimes of Batla House terrorists.
In an attempt to mobilise their Muslim vote bank, “secular” politicians overlook that words have their own currencies and they carry weight. Their blatant outreach, disguised as naivety and political innocence, in pursuit of narrow political gains, ultimately diminishes the gravity of a ‘well-defined Islamist war cry,’ portraying it merely as a ‘protest’ or harmless political opposition against their rivals. This inadvertently contributes to the proliferation of radicalisation within society.
