The Crossbill News Desk
Communally charged remarks by several BJP leaders — including Union minister Giriraj Singh’s comment rejecting the votes of the “namak haram” — have triggered a political storm just weeks before the Bihar assembly elections.
Singh, the BJP MP from Begusarai, made the controversial remark at a poll rally in Arwal district on Saturday, appearing to target Muslims while asserting that those who benefit from government welfare schemes owe their votes to the ruling party.
Singh told the crowd that citizens who accept government welfare have a moral obligation to support the ruling party, and in a video of the speech recounted an alleged conversation with a cleric: “So I told him that one who doesn’t acknowledge help is called a namak haram.”
He went on to say, “I told him, ‘Maulvi Saheb, I don’t want the votes of the namak haram’.”
Facing criticism on Sunday (October 19), Singh defended his remarks to reporters, saying he meant only to stress that government welfare schemes were non-discriminatory.
The comments drew immediate condemnation from opposition leaders. 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 labelled Singh “mentally unstable.”
The Janata Dal (United), the BJP’s key ally in Bihar, offered a measured response: spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan said voters “make decisions beyond such comments,” while another party leader chose to defend Singh.
Singh’s statement was the most prominent of several communally charged incidents involving BJP figures over the weekend.
In Pune, Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni led a protest organised by the Patit Pavan Sanghatna and other Hindu outfits at the historic Shaniwarwada fort after a video showed Muslim women offering prayers at the site.
Kulkarni tweeted, “We will not allow ‘namaz’ in Shaniwarwada, Hindu community has now become awakened,” and later defended the action, saying, “It is a symbol of Hindavi Swaraj… We cannot allow anyone to offer namaz here. It is not a mosque.”
Critics accused her and the activists of attempting to polarise voters ahead of local civic polls; Sachin Sawant of the Maharashtra Congress pointed out the fort’s diverse history and asked why the MP was protesting the nearby dargah.
Separately, a video of BJP leader Pragya Thakur urging parents to use violence to control their daughters added to the controversy.
She warned that girls welcomed as “Lakshmi or Saraswati” grow up to become “mianin” and said: “Strengthen your mind, and make it so strong that if our daughter does not obey us, if she goes to a non-believer’s house, leave no stone unturned in considering breaking her legs.”
She also urged parents not to “step back” from beating their children for their own good.
The remarks come as Bihar prepares for elections, with the first phase of polling on November 6, the second on November 11, and counting scheduled for November 14.
Political analysts say such incidents risk heightening communal tensions and could shape campaigning and voter mobilisation in the run-up to the polls.
Singh, the BJP MP from Begusarai, made the controversial remark at a poll rally in Arwal district on Saturday, appearing to target Muslims while asserting that those who benefit from government welfare schemes owe their votes to the ruling party.
Singh told the crowd that citizens who accept government welfare have a moral obligation to support the ruling party, and in a video of the speech recounted an alleged conversation with a cleric: “So I told him that one who doesn’t acknowledge help is called a namak haram.”
He went on to say, “I told him, ‘Maulvi Saheb, I don’t want the votes of the namak haram’.”
Facing criticism on Sunday (October 19), Singh defended his remarks to reporters, saying he meant only to stress that government welfare schemes were non-discriminatory.
The comments drew immediate condemnation from opposition leaders. 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 labelled Singh “mentally unstable.”
The Janata Dal (United), the BJP’s key ally in Bihar, offered a measured response: spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan said voters “make decisions beyond such comments,” while another party leader chose to defend Singh.
Singh’s statement was the most prominent of several communally charged incidents involving BJP figures over the weekend.
In Pune, Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni led a protest organised by the Patit Pavan Sanghatna and other Hindu outfits at the historic Shaniwarwada fort after a video showed Muslim women offering prayers at the site.
Kulkarni tweeted, “We will not allow ‘namaz’ in Shaniwarwada, Hindu community has now become awakened,” and later defended the action, saying, “It is a symbol of Hindavi Swaraj… We cannot allow anyone to offer namaz here. It is not a mosque.”
Critics accused her and the activists of attempting to polarise voters ahead of local civic polls; Sachin Sawant of the Maharashtra Congress pointed out the fort’s diverse history and asked why the MP was protesting the nearby dargah.
Separately, a video of BJP leader Pragya Thakur urging parents to use violence to control their daughters added to the controversy.
She warned that girls welcomed as “Lakshmi or Saraswati” grow up to become “mianin” and said: “Strengthen your mind, and make it so strong that if our daughter does not obey us, if she goes to a non-believer’s house, leave no stone unturned in considering breaking her legs.”
She also urged parents not to “step back” from beating their children for their own good.
The remarks come as Bihar prepares for elections, with the first phase of polling on November 6, the second on November 11, and counting scheduled for November 14.
Political analysts say such incidents risk heightening communal tensions and could shape campaigning and voter mobilisation in the run-up to the polls.
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