In a controversial statement, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Chief Mahmood Madani defended the concept of Jihad, asserting, ‘Jab jab jhulm hoga tab tab jihad hoga’ (Whenever there is oppression, there will be Jihad). Speaking in Bhopal, Madani claimed that holy terms like Jihad are being wrongly portrayed as synonyms for violence and cited terms like ‘Land Jihad’ and ‘Thook Jihad’ as tools to target Muslims. He also alleged that the courts are working under government pressure regarding issues like the Gyanvapi and Mathura disputes. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly condemned the remarks. BJP MP Sambit Patra termed the speech ‘irresponsible’ and an ‘attempt to divide the country’, stating that terror has often been spread globally in the name of Jihad.