Lok Sabha Elections 2024: SP leader Maria Alam's appeal for 'vote jihad' sparks row

Alam, who is the niece of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid said, 'in the current situation, vote jihad is necessary for the minority community.'

Farrukhabad: Seeking votes for the INDIA bloc candidate from Farrukhabad Lok Sabha seat, Samajwadi Party leader Maria Alam made an appeal for 'vote jihad', terming it as necessary in the current situation for the minority community to drive away the BJP government.

Alam, who is also the niece of senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, while addressing an election meeting on Monday in the presence of senior Congress leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, made an appeal for 'vote jihad', saying "in the current situation, vote jihad is necessary for the minority community".

Speaking in Kaimganj in support of INDIA bloc candidate Naval Kishore Shakya, Alam said, "Together do vote jihad—with intelligence, without being sentimental and with silence. As we can only do vote jehad to drive away this Sanghi government."

Stressing that it was time to join hands, she said otherwise this "Sanghi government will succeed in wiping out our existence".

"People say that Constitution and democracy are under threat. But I say that insaniyat (humanity) is under threat.

"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," she stressed.

In the public meeting, 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.

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

On his candidature from INDIA bloc from the Farrukhabad seat, Khurshid said he was offered Congress ticket from Aligarh from the Congress. But he politely declined clearly saying that "I am Salman Khurshid from Farrukhabad and I stay that only".

This was the first public meeting of the INDIA bloc in Farrukhabad with most of the senior leaders of the Congress and the SP present together on the dias.