After Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi was added to the list of the Congress’ 40-star campaigners for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections on Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party launched an attack against the party on Thursday, branding him an ‘anti-national.’ The 224-seat Karnataka Assembly will go to polls on May 10 with results rebounding on May 13.
Shobha Karandlaje, the convener of the party’s Karnataka Election Management Committee and the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, wanted to know the ‘relationship’ between the Congress and the recently shot dead gangster turned politician Atiq Ahmad.
She asserted that Pratapgarhi was a close ally of the slain mafia and had referred to the criminal as his teacher and brother. She stated that he had written poems in celebration of the notorious criminal who had attended his ‘mushaira’ (a gathering in which poets recite Urdu poetry).
“One name (in the list of Congress star campaigners) that makes us anxious is that of a person who was a close aide of dreaded gangster of Uttar Pradesh, Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf Ahmed and his son Asad Ahmed. Asad was killed in a police encounter while Atiq and his brother Ashraf were killed by the public on their way to the hospital. Pratapgarhi is a close friend of Atiq Ahmed and kept referring to him as his ‘guru’ (teacher) and ‘brother.’ He used to write ‘shayaris’ (poetry) about him,” she charged.
“Despite knowing that Imran Pratapgarhi was involved in ‘anti-national activities’, you (Congress) send him to the Rajya Sabha and appoint him as Karnataka’s star campaigner,” she slammed the opposition party.
#WATCH | Gangster Atiq Ahmed & Ashraf were his (Imran Pratapgarhi) friends. Imran used to call them brothers… Congress has kept him on the list of star campaigners for Karnataka polls, which shows Congress is in support of criminals and anti-nationals: BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje pic.twitter.com/O3vpXNWSTB
— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2023
She alleged that Imran Pratapgrahi had composed and recited poetry not just in favour of Atiq Ahmed, but also against India, and society and incited Muslims against Hindus.
The Congress, according to BJP MP and spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, is ‘allowing the entry of destructive elements and fundamentalists.’ “Imran Pratapgarhi used to write poetry praising Atiq. Atiq too attended Pratapgarhi’s poetry concerts. Imran’s poems laud anti-nationals, anti-socials and instigated Muslims against Hindus,” he remarked.
The stunningly shocking ‘brightest’ star of Congress’ Star campaigner list for Karnataka is Imran Pratapgadhi who wrote
— Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi (@SudhanshuTrived) April 20, 2023
“किसी का कभी ऐसा क़द नहीं होगा, सदियों तक कोई अतीक अहमद नहीं होगा”
ये हैं राहुल की “मोहब्बत की दुकान” की असली पहचान।कभी आतंकियों तो कभी माफ़ियाओं का स्तुतिगान pic.twitter.com/zrd8t2mK5l
However, defending the party’s move, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh commented, “Imran Pratapgarhi is the chairman of our party’s minority cell and he will be coming. What is wrong with that? We are not calling the person who has committed a crime or is behind the bars.”
The background of the issue
Recently, a video of Imran Pratapgarhi was making the rounds on social media, where he can be heard showering high praise on Atiq Ahmed in his poetry. “This is a poet’s declaration which can never be dispelled. Now no one will ever be able to match your stature. People of Allahabad, remember my words, there will be no Atiq Ahmed for many centuries,” he sang in a reportedly 7-year-old video.
Imran Pratapgarhi, Rahul Gandhi’s handpicked member of Rajya Sabha and Congress’s star campaigner in Karnataka, is an apologist of don and now murdered criminal Atik Ahmed… pic.twitter.com/n9fNxSB2n2
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) April 20, 2023
Kanchan Gupta, a senior adviser at the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in the Government of India also took to Twitter to post about the close bond shared between the poet and the mobster. The poet is seen with both Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed in two different pictures, who were invited to the former’s residence.
Meet Imran Pratapgarhi, Congress MP (Rajya Sabha) and chairman of the Minority Department of All India Congress Committee.
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) April 20, 2023
His proximity to gangsters "Atik Bhai" and "Ashraf Sahib" is wellknown. It's a relationship that goes back in time.
Here is Imran Pratapgarhi boasting that… pic.twitter.com/nFqMuNREy2
Now, another undated video has surfaced in which Atiq Ahmed is lauding Imran Pratapgarhi in a rally. The former complimented the poet and called him ‘his heartbeat.’ He even asked for people to vote for Imran Pratapgarhi who was in Samajwadi Party then and make the latter a ‘king’ of Pratapgarh. The gangster complimented him as someone who always speaks the truth because he is a poet.
Dear voters of Karnataka,
— BALA (@erbmjha) April 20, 2023
He is @ShayarImran , a star campaigner for the Congress.
He was dreaded gangster Atiq Ahmed’s heartbeat, a man who had more than 100 case registered against him.
Don’t let such dreaded criminals dictate the politics of your state. pic.twitter.com/kRvklozumD
The entire video can be watched here where Atiq Ahmed is applauding Samajwadi Party and its leaders, particularly, late Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav.
Atiq Ahmed’s criminal history
Atiq Ahmed was just 17 years old when he was first accused of murder. He was the subject of 102 cases, including kidnapping, attempted murder, and threats. The initial complaint was filed against him in 1979 and he was the first person to be charged with a crime under the ‘Gangster Act’ in Uttar Pradesh. The act was invoked against him thrice. He conducted meetings and maintained his criminal enterprise even while confined to various jails in the state. He was one of the prime accused in the murder of both BSP MLA Raju Pal and its primary witness Umesh Pal.
He was shot dead along with his brother Ashraf Ahmed alias Khalid Azim, another accused who had 52 cases against him when they were on their way to hospital by three perpetrators, Sunny Singh, Lovelesh Tiwari and Arun Maurya, who immediately surrendered and were taken into custody by the police present at the scene.
