“It is to be noted that I am making a plea to vote for a candidate who is not a Muslim and in the name of a leader who is not a Muslim. I am shocked to see that a statement like this can be so distorted and miscontrued as communal and inciting hatred.
“My party and I have always stood against any form of communalism and I shall continue to do so,” she said.
Ilmi found herself at the centre of a controversy yesterday over her remarks that Muslims should become “communal” for their own good when they vote this time and not be “too secular”.