Karnataka: Oppn leaders hit back at Zameer for 'Muslim Speaker' comment

BJP leaders in the state on Friday sharply reacted to Housing and Minorities Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s recent statement during election campaigning in Telangana where he claimed that the saffron party’s leaders bowed down before a Muslim Speaker in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, thanks to the opportunity given by the Congress. 

During a recent campaign event in Hyderabad, the minister had said it was only the Congress which encouraged Muslim leadership.

“As many as nine Muslim leaders have been elected in the recent Assembly elections. The party has given power to five leaders from the community by appointing them to various posts. For the first time, a Muslim was made the Assembly Speaker. Senior BJP leaders now bow to him in the House,” he had said. 

His statement received backlash from BJP leaders who alleged that Zameer was giving a communal colour to a Constitutional post. BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the MLAs gave respect to the Speaker’s post and the Indian Constitution and the individual was immaterial here. “Zameer’s statement is unfortunate. Henceforth he must think before making such statements. He is not in-charge for one community alone,” Vijayendra said. 

Senior BJP leader Kota Sreenivasa Poojary urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to advise Zameer and ensure that he did not make such “childish” statements in the future. 

JD(S) legislature party leader H D Kumaraswamy too lashed out at the minister for raking up controversy. “Once Khader took charge as the Speaker, he is representing the Assembly and not any party or religion,” Kumaraswamy said. 

Amid backlash, the minister issued a clarification that his statement was not meant to hurt any legislator or party leaders.

“What I said was that in Karnataka, the Congress Party had given the highest respect for the Muslim community and given the post of speaker for the first time in the history of the state. In the legislative assembly, all the Congress, BJP and Janata Dal Secular MLAs will address the speaker as the honorable speaker...” Zameer said, asserting that his statement was being misconstrued by opposition leaders.