In viral video, state minister explains how Congress got Muslim votes, BJP cries 'polarisation'

Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan also said that the communal atmosphere in India changed after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. " After 2014, the atmosphere has changed in India. Before that, Hindus and Muslims lived together in harmony," he said.

Bengaluru: A video showing Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan explaining how the Congress mobilised Muslim votes for the Karnataka Assembly election has gone viral on social media, with the BJP using it as a stick to beat the grand old party for "polarisation".

The video is three months old and from a meeting in poll-bound Rajasthan.

"I'm being asked how we created magic...how did Muslims vote in unison in Karnataka?" Zameer is heard saying.

"After seeing the persistent injustice (by the BJP government), for 6-8 months we used to hold indoor meetings. We never used to show what we were up to," Zameer said. "We took into confidence all ulema-e-ikram, muezzin and imams of every mosque. Perhaps, for the first time, we worked with Jamaat associates. We made teams in each of the 224 constituencies," he said.

Zameer, the Chamarajpet MLA, attributed the Muslim consolidation to the BJP. "The reason for the unity was the 3.5 years of the BJP rule under which Muslims were targeted with issues such as hijab, loudspeaker, halal...all the way up to scrapping 4% reservation for us that was introduced when Veerappa Moily was the chief minister," he said.

"People were scared. They didn't know what to do. Azan in mosques was stopped, girls couldn't go to school without hijab, there were calls to stop buying halal meat sold by Muslims," Zameer said. "The BJP wanted to gain Hindu votes. But according to me, BJP neither loves Hindus nor Muslims. They just love power," he said.

Zameer also said that the communal atmosphere in India changed after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. " After 2014, the atmosphere has changed in India. Before that, Hindus and Muslims lived together in harmony," he said.

Tweeting the video, BJP said this was "divide and rule" from the "classic playbook" of the Congress. "In 1947, Nehru divided India to satisfy his power hunger. In 2023, his grandson Rahul Gandhi is using the same tactics to divide India yet again on religious lines," the BJP charged. "...Khan is admitting that they can only win if there is communal polarisation & consolidation of Muslim vote...Congress continues to break India!" the BJP said.

Backing Zameer, Home Minister G Parameshwara said there was nothing wrong in mobilising a community's votes.