NEW DELHI: In a highly controversial statement, a former Congress MLA has called Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi a "Jew" and said a Muslim cannot vote for a Judaist. Asif Muhammad Khan, former Congress legislator from Okhla, during an election rally said Atishi is a "Yahudi" and Muslims can vote for anyone except for a Jew.

Khan also said the Muslims cannot accept leadership of the Jews and asked his supporters to spread this to every household so that Atishi can be defeated.

Reacting to Khan's remarks, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the Congress and the BJP are spreading canards about Atishi's religious affiliation. He said Atishi, who is making debut in the Lok Sabha poll, is a Rajput and belongs to the Kshatriya community.

The senior AAP leader said her full name is Atishi Singh and she is a fighter, like the queen of Jhansi. "..Beware of her, she will win and create history," he said.

Atishi, BJP's Gautam Gambhir and Congress' Arvinder Singh Lovely have locked horns in a triangular contest in the East Delhi constituency.

Atishi, an Oxford graduate, served as an advisor to Sisodia, who is also the Education Minister, from July 2015 to April 17, 2018 and was also involved in drafting the manifesto of the party in the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections.

Delhi goes to poll in sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 12. and the results would be declared on May 23.

In the 2014 Modi-wave, the BJP bagged seven seats with over 46 per cent of vote share while the AAP got 32 per cent. The Congress share declined to 15 per cent.

The Congress vote share further declined in the 2015 Assembly polls to nine per cent while the AAP's share rose to 54 per cent. The BJP's vote share was 32 per cent.