A video has been doing rounds on social media, where Karnataka’s Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has been explaining how the Congress mobilized Muslim votes for the Karnataka Assembly election. This video has been shot in an alleged secret meeting in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
The video is said to be three months old and it was shot during a political meeting in poll-bound Rajasthan. Zameer is heard saying that, “I’m being asked how we created magic…how did Muslims vote in unison in Karnataka?”
“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.
He further added that the communal atmosphere in India changed after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014. Before that, Hindus and Muslims lived together in harmony.
BJP accused Congress of Communal Politics
BJP Karnataka accused Congress of spreading communal agenda. The BJP Karnataka handle tweeted that “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.”
“…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.
Motor Mouth Zameer remains in controversies for his communal stance
Zameer, who is known for his closeness with Siddaramaiah, made a controversial statement that that nobody could become the chief minister with support from just one community. This was after Shivakumar’s attempt to consolidate the Vokkaliga community by saying that a Vokkaliga – the community to which he belongs to – could be the next CM if Congress was voted to power in 2023.
“Can I become the CM with just Muslim votes,” Zameer had retorted. Though Muslims outnumber Vokkaligas, “can I be CM with just Muslim votes? We need all communities.”
However, singling out the community hasn’t sat well with Vokkaliga leaders across all parties and leaders of all parties condemned his statement across the party lines.
Zameer also made a communal statement during the Hijab controversy in Karnataka. He had said that rape cases in India were at a high because women were not wearing hijab.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar had condemned his remarks and instructed him to apologies. “The Congress does not agree with Zameer’s statement, and he has been asked to withdraw it,” Mr. Shivakumar said.
Facing flak from many quarters and even from his own party, Zameer Khan apologized for his insensitive remark on rape.
