In a recent social media post, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya criticized the Congress party, sharing a video on X (formerly Twitter) that shows a controversial poster of Congress candidate Naseem Khan. The video reveals a poster of Khan, who is running for the Chandivali constituency in Mumbai, overlaid on an image of Lord Ganesha, sparking backlash from the BJP and supporters.
Malviya condemned the poster, stating it was a deliberate attempt to provoke the Hindu community, particularly Maharashtrians who deeply revere Ganpati Bappa. “Ganpati Bappa is worshipped as Vighnaharta, and he holds a special place in the hearts of Maharashtrians. We witness massive celebrations for Ganeshotsav in Mumbai, and this is nothing short of an insult,” Malviya remarked. He accused the Congress of trying to appease Muslim voters with the imagery, calling it “the worst kind of Vote Jihad since partition.”
In an outright insult to the Hindu community in Maharashtra, Congress workers campaigning for Naseem Khan in Chandivali, stuck his poster on Ganpati Bappa’s picture.
Ganpati Bappa is revered as विघ्नहर्ता and Maharashtrians, among others, have deep emotional attachment to the… pic.twitter.com/Kei7wVoyVG
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) November 14, 2024
Malviya’s statement went on to call Congress “the new Muslim League,” claiming the act was a premeditated strategy to signal to Muslim voters in the region to support the party. The Congress candidate at the center of the incident, Naseem Khan, previously represented the Chandivali constituency in the Maharashtra Assembly from 2009 to 2019. In this election, he is running against Dilip Lande from Shiv Sena.
The incident has stirred political tension just days before Maharashtra’s assembly elections. All 288 assembly constituencies in the state will go to the polls on November 20, with votes being counted on November 23.
