Salman Khurshid and His Niece Facing Accusations Over Vote Jihad Remark Controversy

The video of Maria Alam’s statement has gone viral on social media. Ms. Alam, a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, was seeking votes for INDIA bloc candidate Naval Kishore Shakya.

During a campaign on Monday, she made an appeal for “vote jihad”, stating it was necessary for the minority community to drive away the BJP government. Following a complaint made by the Flying Squad and Surveillance Team, a case was registered against Maria Alam for violating the provisions of the IPC and Representation of People Act.

Additionally, a case was also registered against Mr. Khurshid, the chief guest at the election meeting in Kaimganj. The SHO of Kaimganj police station, Ramautar, informed that the case was registered under sections 188, 295A of the IPC, and section 125 of the Representation of People Act.

Ms. Alam emphasized the need for voting intelligently to drive away the “Sanghi government”, stressing the importance of uniting to protect the country’s beauty and composite culture. Mr. Khurshid, in response to his niece’s statement, noted that he typically avoids using such words due to potential misinterpretation but defended the term “jihad” as meaning to fight against a situation.

He mentioned that his candidature from the INDIA bloc in Farrukhabad was a deliberate choice, expressing his loyalty to the region. This was the first public meeting of the INDIA bloc in Farrukhabad with senior leaders of the Congress and the SP present together on the dias.

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