On Friday (17th November), a controversy erupted as Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan made a statement targeting the BJP during a campaign rally for the Telangana assembly elections. He said that BJP leaders are now compelled to extend respectful greetings with folded hands to the Muslim Speaker of the state assembly, UT Khader. Khan attributed this situation to the efforts of the Congress government in Karnataka.
Zameer Ahmed Khan said, “17 Muslims were given tickets. Out of these 7 have been elected as MLAs. Congress empowered 5 of them. I was given 3 portfolios and made a minister. Rahim Khan is the Minister, and Salim Ahmed is the whip. Naseer Ahmed is the Chief Minister’s political secretary.”
#LIVE | In viral video, Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan links speaker's chair to religion
— Republic (@republic) November 17, 2023
"Congress forced BJP leaders to salute Muslim leader," he said.
Tune in- https://t.co/0ZgKFIoNLr#Karnataka #ZameerKhan #Congress pic.twitter.com/WWNAO8wsDE
He added, “Never in the history of politics has a Muslim person been made speaker. Now for the first time, the Congress party has made a Muslim speaker. Now even the biggest of the BJP leaders have to respectfully greet UT Khader with folded hands and say Namaskar (Salutations) to UT Khader. Who made this possible? It is Congress!”
BJP Karnataka State President BY Vijayendra reacted to this statement by the Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan. BY Vijayendra said, “Zameer Ahmed who is a cabinet minister and is in a responsible position making such statements is unfortunate and condemnable. As legislators, we respect the post and position of the speaker and we respect democracy and it is not towards any individual.”
#LIVE | Karnataka Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan links speaker's chair to religion, BJP and JDS hit out
— Republic (@republic) November 17, 2023
Speaking to Republic, BJP Karnataka President BY Vijayendra said, "Zameer Ahmed who is a cabinet minister and is in a responsible position making such statements is unfortunate… pic.twitter.com/KuebpzrqCW
JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy said, “It is respect to the chair, not Khader. The speaker is the custodian of 224 MLAs and he doesn’t belong to one particular community.”
Muslim appeasing policies of Congress in Karnataka is a long-known fact. The Congress party had promised in its election manifesto for the Kannada state that it will ban Bajrang Dal if voted to power. The speaker of the state assembly UT Khader about whom minister Zameer Ahmed Khan made this statement was also in the middle of a controversy regarding his deliberate actions against BJP. In July 2023,he suspended 10 BJP MLAs.
On the 19th of July, the two major opposition parties in Karnataka, BJP and JD(S), jointly gave a notice seeking a no-confidence motion against the Assembly Speaker UT Khader. The notice was jointly signed by both the BJP and JD(S) MLAs including Former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and HD Kumaraswamy.
