Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu has stoked a controversy by urging Muslim voters of a Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar with a sizeable population of the minority community to vote en bloc and defeat Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His comments at a rally in Katihar, where he was canvassing for veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister Tariq Anwar.
Predictably, Mr. Sidhu’s comments drew an angry response from the BJP, which urged the Election Commission to take suitable action against him. “Do not consider yourself as being in a minority. You constitute the majority here. You are about 64%. Do not fall into the trap laid by people like Owaisi [president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen]. They have been propped up by the BJP,” Mr. Sidhu said.
Mr. Sidhu, who has been campaigning for his party in the Seemanchal region of Bihar, appears to have mixed up Katihar with neighbouring Kishanganj, where Muslims are in a majority and AIMIM has put up a candidate.
“We strongly condemn the remarks made by Navjot Singh Sidhu. His comments appear to be in sync with the Congress policy of minority appeasement and a consequence of the partys worry of an impending defeat,” said BJP State vice-president Devesh Kumar.