On 13th August 2026, Congress Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan has refused to take up the charge of Vijaynagar district ahead of Independence Day, citing lack of time due to local body election-related work. Khan wrote a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar seeking exemption from hoisting the Tricolour at Vijayanagar during Independence Day.
“In the coming days, keeping in mind local body elections, including (Greater Bengaluru Authority), Assembly bypolls and the party organisation, I won’t have time to carry out the responsibility of a district minister. I request you not to assign any district to me,” Khan wrote.
“Further, I have been given the responsibility of hoisting the flag on Independence Day on 15.08.2026. Due to not being able to attend, I have requested an exemption from it,” he added.
#Karnataka minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s request to exempt him from hoisting the flag during Independence Day celebrations in Vijaynagar district citing he is busy with elections has snowballed into a political controversy.
— TOI Bengaluru (@TOIBengaluru) August 14, 2026
State BJP has demanded CM DK Shivakumar to dismiss him.… pic.twitter.com/EaBzqWorkT
The letter has stirred political outrage in the state, as the opposition BJP has condemned Zameer Ahmed Khan for prioritising party organisation and elections over hoisting the tricolour on Independence Day.
The Karnataka state assembly Leader of Opposition (LoP) R. Ashoka said, “Do we need more evidence to prove that minister Zameer Ahmed Khan committed treason by saying that he has no time for flag hoisting? Has party politics become bigger than the sacred duty of a responsible minister to pay homage to the national tricolour on Independence Day?”
