Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday sparked a row on Twitter after she responded to a tweet by asking for votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It began with a tweet from the president of the All India United Democratic Front, M Badruddin Ajmal, who thanked her for India’s decision to vote against the United States’ Jerusalem move at the United Nations.

Swaraj then replied saying: “Thank you, Ajmal Sahib. Now you vote for us.”

Swaraj’s tweet was met with a strong response from the Assam leader and several other Twitter users.

“Our vote is always for India, Madam,” Ajmal responded. “The day BJP does not differentiate between the majority and minority community, our vote will be for you.”

Here are some other reactions to Swaraj’s tweet:

The Jerusalem vote

India and 127 other members of the 193-strong United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of a resolution, which asked the US to withdraw its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

The overwhelming vote against the US came even after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour of the resolution.

Trump’s announcement broke with years of precedent on the sensitive subject and sparked bloody protests in the Israeli-Palestinian region.

Israel considers Jerusalem an indivisible capital and wants all embassies based there. Palestinians want the capital of an independent Palestinian state to be East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war and annexed.

A majority of countries do not recognise Israel’s claim to the whole of Jerusalem, where several Christian, Muslim and Jewish holy sites are located.

The US had vetoed a draft of this resolution at the UN Security Council earlier this week.

This article was originally published at Scroll.in and has been reproduced here with permission.


Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...