The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Anand, Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has escalated his critique of the opposition INDI alliance, specifically targeting an alleged appeal for ‘vote jihad’ by Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s niece, Maria Alam Khan, who is also a leader in the Samajwadi Party. During a public rally in Gujarat’s Anand, Modi claimed that this appeal was a clear demonstration of the alliance’s divisive intentions.
“The educated leaders of the INDI alliance are calling upon Muslims to unite and vote as a bloc, which they term ‘vote jihad’,” Modi stated, emphasizing the seriousness of the claim which he argued undermines Indian democracy and constitutional values. He pointed out that no Congress leaders have publicly refuted Khan’s statement, implying a tacit endorsement of the divisive strategy.
Khan, who spoke at a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Kayamganj, has been booked under an FIR that accuses her of urging the minority community to engage in ‘vote jihad’. Modi used this incident to assert that the INDI alliance’s tactics are a threat to national unity.
Further leveraging his platform, Modi criticized the past UPA government’s foreign policy, contrasting it with his administration’s more assertive stance against terrorism. He claimed that the Congress party’s weakening in India coincided with support from Pakistani leaders, suggesting a collaboration that favored Pakistan.
Modi also mocked the Congress party as a “factory of fake goods” and a purveyor of falsehoods under the guise of love and unity, while he praised his government’s efforts as a ‘service period’ dedicated to national unity and integrity, in contrast to what he described as Congress’ ‘reign’ of divisiveness.
With the general elections underway, Modi’s remarks come just days before Gujarat goes to the polls for 25 of its 26 Lok Sabha seats, setting the stage for a heated electoral battle. The results will be declared on June 4.