Maneka to Muslims: Support me if you want work done

Union minister Maneka Gandhi, who was in the fray as BJP nominee in Sultanpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly asked the Muslims to support her if they wanted her to be responsive to their complaints.

Maneka's veiled threat to the Muslims came to light after a video clip containing her purported speech in a Muslim locality in the constituency, went viral on the social networking sites.

''Main jeet rahi hoon logon ke pyar aur madad se...lekin agar meri jeet Musalmano ke bina hogi to mujhe achcha nahi lagega...phir musalman ata hai kaam ke liye to main sochti hoon rahne do kya fark padta hai,'' (I am winning with the help of the people but if the win comes without the Muslims then I will not feel good....if a Muslim comes to me for work then I will think leave it...what difference does it make), Maneka is heard telling in the video.

The union minister went on to say that supporting was a matter of ''give and take''. ''After all any job involves giving and taking....we are not the sixth child of Mahatma Gandhi...we cannot go on only giving and get hit in the polls,'' she said.

Apparently warning the Muslims, she said that she would ultimately get to know if they had supported her. ''If I get only 50-100 votes at this polling booth then I will know,'' she remarked.

Maneka, who had been elected from Pilibhit LS seat in 2014, has swapped her seat with her son Varun Gandhi, who had won from Sultanpur last time.

Earlier UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had stoked controversy by his ''Ali vs Bajarang Bali'' remarks. The Election Commission (EC) has sought an explanation from him.