Patna, Oct 19: Union minister Giriraj Singh has once again courted controversy by making a scathing remark against a minority community, saying that he doesn’t need the votes of namak haraams (betrayers).
He made the remark while addressing a public rally in Bihar’s Arwal district on Saturday.
The BJP MP from Begusarai said, “Once I asked a maulvi (cleric) whether he had Ayushman Bharat health card and he replied in the affirmative. I asked whether such cards were distributed on the basis of Hindu-Muslim and he replied in the negative.”
“When I asked him whether he had voted for me, he replied in the affirmative but when I asked him to swear on Khuda (God), he said no, he didn’t. Muslims take the benefits of all central schemes but don’t vote for us… Such people are called namak haraam. I told maulvi sahab that I don’t want votes of namak haraams,” he added.
The BJP leader also said that he asked the Muslim cleric whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had abused him, to which he replied in the negative.
“I also asked him whether I had insulted him, to which he said ‘no’. Then I asked him what my fault was that he did not vote for me. Someone who doesn’t acknowledge kindness is called namak haraam,” the Union minister said.
Reacting to Singh’s statement, RJD state unit spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary said, “It’s a well-known fact that BJP leaders can’t say anything except Hindu-Muslim. They can’t talk about growing unemployment, price hike, better education and medical facilities… Whenever you talk to them about development, they start discussions on Hindu-Muslim issues and try their best to divert the attention of people from core issues.” (PTI)
