Union Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday appealed to the Muslim community not to allow themselves to be used as a vote bank by opposition parties, including the Congress and the Left, noting that once they become a vote bank, they will be treated as a commodity.

Addressing a press conference in Kochi, Rijiju said he had also appealed to the Congress and UDF to vote and support the Waqf Amendment Bill and not play "vote bank politics".