By The Wire Staff
New Delhi: A Union minister has declared he does not want the votes of the “namak haram,” or the ungrateful, in a remark that appears to be aimed at Muslims weeks before the Bihar assembly elections, triggering widespread political condemnation.
Giriraj Singh, the BJP’s MP from Begusarai, told a poll rally in Arwal district on Saturday that citizens who accept government welfare have a moral obligation to vote for the ruling party. He appeared to use the term for Muslims who benefit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s schemes but do not support the BJP.
In a video of the speech, Singh recounted an alleged conversation with a cleric. “So I told him that one who doesn’t acknowledge help is called a namak haram,” the minister is heard saying.
“I told him, ‘Maulvi Saheb, I don’t want the votes of the namak haram’,” he said.
Despite facing criticism on Sunday (October 19), Singh stood by his remarks, telling reporters he meant only to highlight that government welfare schemes were non-discriminatory.
The comments drew immediate fire.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut demanded the minister’s removal, asking, “If someone doesn’t vote for you, does that make them namak haram?”
The Bihar Congress called Singh “mentally unstable.”
The BJP’s main ally in Bihar, the Janata Dal (United), offered a more cautious response. Spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan said voters “make decisions beyond such comments,” while another party leader defended Singh.
The minister’s statement was the most high-profile of several communally charged incidents involving BJP leaders over the weekend.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.