New Delhi: Yesteryears’ “Dream girl” and BJP’s Mathura MP Hema Malini on Saturday reacted strongly to party colleague and Union minister Maneka Gandhi’s alleged threat to the Muslims voters during a campaign rally. Ms Malini, who has been renominated by the party from Mathura, said that said even if the people in the minority community do not support the BJP, the party leaders still have to help everybody.
The Election Commission has already issued a showcause notice to Ms Gandhi.
Senior BJP leader Maneka Gandhi had created a controversy on Friday after a video clipping showed her warning the Muslim community that if they do not vote for her, she will not “help” them in future. The video clip that went viral on the social media, showed the minister telling voters that it is all about “give and take.”
“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 (Things will become sour),” Ms Gandhi, the BJP lawmaker from Pilbhit, said. “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?” she added. The BJP minister was served a show-cause notice by the District Magistrate of Sultanpur over her remarks on Friday.
After the video clip created a political storm, Ms Gandhi later clarified that her words had been twisted. “I love Muslims and I had myself called a meeting of the BJP’s minority cell. I only meant to say that I am winning the elections and their participation would be like ‘daal pe chaunk’ (garnishing for a dish),” said the WCD minister.
Hema Malini on Saturday responded to Ms Gandhi’s speech and said, “On triple talaq issue, many minority community women support us but even if they do not, you have to help everybody. It doesnot matter who voted for us and who did not,” Ms Malini was quoted as saying by a news agency.
Hema Malini, seeking a re-election from Mathura, added that she was confident of a win in the national elections. “I am very confident of a win because I have done good work. My government has done good work, so I am sure people will support us. Things are changing and people want development, caste politics now doesn’t work,” she said.
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