Chaos broke out in the Karnataka Assembly on Monday over a video of a Congress minister who can be heard trying to communalise the Speaker’s chair. Zameer Ahmad Khan’s remarks during an election rally in Telangana were brought up in the House on Monday (11th December). BJP MLAs staged a protest in the assembly demanding the sacking of the Congress minister.
The Housing, Waqf and Minority affairs minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan while targeting the BJP during the Telangana campaign had said that the BJP MLAs are now bound to join hands and bow down before a Muslim speaker in Karnataka thanks to the Congress.
The video of his address had gathered pace on social media and garnered widespread criticism.
“9 of us (Muslims) have been elected. 17 seats had Muslim contenders and 9 got elected. 5 have been given power. Zameer Ahmed Khan has been given three portfolios as minister, Raheem Khan has been made minister, Salin Ahmed has been made chief whip and Naseer Ahmed has recently been made political secretary. Till today, no one (Muslim) had been made Speaker. Today the Congress has made UT Khader Speaker. Today, BJP leaders join hands and salute before UT Khader (a Muslim leader) because of the Congress,” Khan said in his address.
Leader of Opposition R Ashoka along with other BJP MLAs assembled at the Well of the House demanding that Khan be sacked for his “insulting” remark involving the position of the Speaker.
He said, “We don’t know in which country we are living. Is this Pakistan? Khan should be sacked for showing BJP leaders in poor light.”
JD(S) also joined in the chorus as the protests went on for the entire duration of the House proceedings.
However, Speaker UT Khader did not heed the Opposition’s demand and the House passed five bills without discussion and concluded a discussion on drought with the government’s reply.
Meanwhile, the BJP also accused the Speaker of conducting the proceedings in a dictatorial manner like a “Congress Speaker” and insulting the Opposition. The BJP MLAs called the Congress minister’s statement as “anti constitution and anti Hindu”.
LoP R Ashoka also accused Khan of disrespecting the chair of the Speaker and trying to disturb the sentiments of Hindus and Muslims. A battle ensued in the assembly when Congress MLAs also rose in protest against the Opposition.
“Are we (BJP MLAs) gulams (slaves)? To say salaam the way he (Khan) has said,” R Ashoka asked. BJP MLA and former Karnataka minister CN Ashwath Narayan demanded Khan’s suspension from the assembly.
Meanwhile, the Speaker, UT Khader, himself told the Opposition that they should have raised the matter after giving a notice. Even as the assembly was adjourned for some time, the House proceedings continued later without heeding to the demands of the opposition.
“We respect the chair not because the speaker who occupies it is a Hindu or a Muslim. It is because of respect towards the Chair. The minister’s statement has humiliated Hindus, so Khan has to apologise. Extend the session by a week for discussion on key issues, but we won’t take back protests,” Ashoka said.
The BJP also called Khan a “Pakistani agent”. The LoP asked whether Congress is ashamed to take action when Hindus are insulted.
Zameer Ahmed Khan has reportedly refused to issue an apology or submit resignation. He was quoted as saying, “I had said that Congress, BJP, and JD(S) members bow down to the Speaker’s chair and respect it. I have merely highlighted that the Congress has elevated the Muslim community to such a high post. What’s wrong with that statement?”
About a year ago, the Congress minister had made headlines for his unheygenic display of appeasement. While marking Ambedkar Jayanti and Eid Milan at an event last year, Khan was seen in a video feeding a morsel of food to a Dalit priest, asked him to spit it out and then ate it himself.
The video had gone viral on social media.
Last year, the Congress leader had claimed that the numerical strength of Muslims is greater than the politically-dominant Vokkaliga community in the state.
He made the contentious remarks to support Siddaramaiah’s bid for becoming the Congress’ CM candidate in the Assembly elections.
In July 2022, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted raids on the residence and office of the Congress MLA in Bengaluru. The ACB officials also registered a case against Khan in the disproportionate assets case and booked him based on ED’s report.
The ACB officials raided 2 offices and 3 residential properties of Khan which include his residence in the Bengaluru Cantonment area, a flat in Silver Oak Apartment, a guest house at Sadashiv Nagar, GK Associates office at Banashankari, and National Travels Office in Kalasipalya in Bengaluru.
Khan along with several other Congress leaders was seen brandishing swords during the so-called celebration of Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan at Bengaluru. BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, a Congress MLA from Chamarajpet, addressed the media while holding a sword.