‘India Will Be Guided Only by the Constitution’: Leaders Slam Mahmood Madani’s Jihad Remarks

New Delhi: Political leaders across party lines strongly criticised Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH) President Maulana Mahmood Madani on Wednesday after he suggested that the concept of jihad should be included in school curricula to help children understand its “true meaning”.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Madani argued that jihad is relevant not only for Muslims but for the entire nation and claimed that the term has been repeatedly misinterpreted and wrongly linked with violence.

His remarks sparked sharp political reactions, with leaders stressing that India is governed strictly by the Constitution and will not accept anything that contradicts it.

Union Minister Giriraj Singh said:
“India runs by the Constitution. Anyone who carries out jihad in India will not be spared by the law.”

BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh accused Madani of reviving the “ideology of the Muslim League”, calling the comments “extremely unfortunate”.
He told IANS:
“The country will be run by the Constitution and the law, not by jihad. Some people are supporting soft terrorism and trying to spread urban terrorism. India does not accept this.”

BJP MP Shashank Mani Tripathi said the public would “teach a lesson to such Maulanas”, adding that openly talking about jihad is “completely against our Constitution”.

From the opposition benches, Congress MP Imran Masood said Madani seemed to be presenting a distorted interpretation of the term.
“Yes, jihad is a term that can be taught — it’s about national struggle in times of crisis. But I don’t know what direction he (Madani) is taking the concept,” he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the remarks an attempt to polarise society and distract from pressing national issues.
“There is a deliberate strategy at work,” she said. “As the BJP raises issues like Babri Masjid on one side and Madani talks about jihad on the other, the aim is to push a Hindu-Muslim narrative while corruption, terrorism, and other real issues get ignored.”

With inputs from IANS