In Bihar, Giriraj Singh labels Muslims ‘namak haraam’

Union minister Giriraj Singh has again stirred up controversy with a provocative statement against Muslim community, asserting that he does not want the votes of ‘namak haraams’ (betrayers) during an election rally in Bihar’s Arwal district on 18 October, Saturday.

The BJP MP from Begusarai said, "Once I asked a maulvi whether he has an 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, he said, no, he didn't. Muslims take 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.

Continuing his remarks, Singh said he asked the cleric whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ever insulted him or abused him. "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.

Muslims don't vote for BJP

Referring to development works in Bihar, Singh added that the NDA government had built roads and improved infrastructure for all communities. "Roads have been built in Bihar not only for NDA leaders and workers but for the masses... The NDA government works for every section of society, but Muslims do not vote for the BJP," he said.

Reacting sharply, RJD spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwary criticised Singh’s statement, "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."

The remarks came amid heightened campaigning for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections, with voting scheduled in two phases on 6 and 11 November and results to be declared on 14 November.

Notably, senior BJP leader Maneka Gandhi had also faced criticism in the past for making remarks targeting Muslim voters in this region.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while campaigning in Sultanpur, she told a gathering of Muslims that if they did not vote for her, they should not expect her help after the elections. Gandhi reportedly said she would feel “bitter” if Muslims didn’t support her and might be less inclined to assist those areas.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) later issued her a show-cause notice and barred her from campaigning for 48 hours. Her comments were widely condemned as being divisive and reflective of communal bias in electoral politics.

This time, the ECI has yet to respond to Singh's remarks on Muslims.