Padma Mohanty
Sultanpur | On Thursday Maneka Gandhi was campaigning in a Muslim majority village, Turab Khani village in Sultanpur UP, where she gave a speech which has landed her into controversy. For that speech, she has been issued a show cause notice by the election commission on Friday.
The Union Cabinet Minister for ‘women and child development’ is an MP from UP’s Pilibhit. She has started her campaigning 10 days ago from Sultanpur for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. While campaigning in Sultanpur she told that anyhow she will win the election, but if she will win without the support of Muslims then the win will be sour. And after that in the future, if the Muslims need her support and help then she will need to think about that. It should always be a give and take relationship.
The video of Maneka Gandhi while delivering this speech has gone viral in social media. According to sources, because of this comment, the Sultanpur’s District Magistrate has sent a notice to her after the EC looked into the matter and asked her to explain her remarks within three days.
What exactly Maneka Gandhi said which has landed her into this controversy…..
“This is important. I am winning. I am winning because of the love and support of people. But if my victory is without Muslims, I won’t feel that good. Dil khatta ho jayega. Then when a Muslim comes to me for work, I think let it be, how does it matter. It’s all give and take, isn’t it? We aren’t all sons of Mahatma Gandhi, are we?. It’s not that we keep on giving and then losing in the election. This victory will happen with or without you.” After some time she continued, “I have already won the elections, but you will need me. This is your chance to lay the foundation. When the election comes and this booth throws up 100 votes or 50 votes, and then you come to me for work we will see…I don’t see any divides, I see only pain, sadness and love. So it is up to you…”
Additional Chief Electoral Officer, BR Tiwari on Friday said, “The EC has taken cognizance of the matter. District Magistrate, Sultanpur, has issued a show cause notice to her and a report has been sent to the EC.
When asked about her speech which she delivered in Sultanpur, she said, she has been quoted wrong, some channel is trying to defame her, and they are only showing half of the speech. How the channel people are showing that’s not the truth. “I had called a meeting of our minority cell. If you read my complete speech, the channel is running that one sentence out of context.”
Congress leader Sanjay Jha has slammed her and referred her speech as ‘SCANDALOUS’. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the BJP leader discriminates people on the basis of caste and community. The Congress party urged the EC to drop Maneka Gandhi on the basis of misconduct, the party also said she hurt the religious sentiments of people and an FIR should be registered against her for incitement.
The polling in UP has started from April 11th and it will be done in seven phases. The results will be declared on May 23rd.
