Union Minister Maneka Gandhi stoked a controversy by asking the Muslim community to vote for her else she will not be inclined to pay heed to their requests as a lawmaker.
Sultanpur: Union Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi, while campaigning in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur on Thursday, April 11, was recorded on camera ‘pressuring’ members of the Muslim community to vote for her or else ‘she may not work towards fulfilling their needs when she wins’.
Videos of the Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s speech surfaced on social media.
She said that Muslim voters need to understand that it is a give and take relation. She added that she would not want to give them jobs if they do not vote for her.
“I am winning… I am winning because of the support of the people. But, if my win is sans the support of Muslims… then I wouldn’t feel too good… things will then turn sour. In such a scenario, if a Muslim comes to me for work, I will not be inclined to do it… I’ll think ‘how does it matter?’. A job is about give and take… it’s not like we all are Mahatma Gandhi’s children,” Gandhi said at the rally.
“I will win even without you… but you need me. When the results come out, and I see that this booth voted only 50-100 times… I will be pained. So, it is all up to you,” she added.
Gandhi asked those gathered to spread the word about voting for her. “I am extending a hand of friendship,” she is heard saying. “You can ask anyone in my former constituency of Pilibhit about my work. I have already won this election, the rest is up to you,” implying that it was the people who needed her, not the other way around.
Maneka Gandhi, the MP from Pilibhit, began her campaign from the Sultanpur seat about 10 days ago. The seat is currently held by her son Varun Gandhi. But this election, Varun has shifted back to Pilibhit, a seat he won in 2009. Maneka Gandhi has won the Pilibhit seat six times.
The General Rules of the Model Code of Conduct imposed by the Election Commission of India (EC) clearly state that, “There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes.”
Prima Facie, Gandhi stands in clear violation of the rule. The EC is yet to take cognisance of the matter.
