Congress MLA B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan has once again courted controversy by extending support to the families of persons arrested in the April 16 Hubballi violence which was triggered over an "offensive" social media post. But, his "generous" gesture has been condemned by the ruling BJP leaders and Congress party members.
Zameer, 55, a close aide of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is currently on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, had reportedly organised foodkit and cash (Rs 5,000) distribution in Hubballi for the benefit of the families of the 154 arrested in the case. But, following a massive outrage against Zameer, the Chamrajpet MLA backed out and claimed that he had no role in the "activity" and the allegations were "baseless and false".
"I have come to Mecca on a pilgrimage since April 17. The recent allegations against me are completely baseless and false. I have no role in any such activities," tweeted Zameer.
While the BJP alleged the Congresss was more concerned about "appeasement of Muslims" than the law of the land, the Congress party chose to distance itself from the incident.
BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi slammed the Congress for helping the families of the accused whenever there is an incident of violence. "Be it DJ Halli, KG Halli or Padarayanpura violence, the Congress party is always found to be helped the accused families. They also provide legal help through advocates extend monetary assistance to the accused. Zameer's name gets linked to all such incidents. He is pinching the baby and also pacifying the baby," mocked Ravi.
"Supporting the accused reflects on Zameer's mindset. It is happening with Siddaramaiah's approval. Previously, too, when violence had broken out in DJ Halli and KG Hallu, Zameer was on the side of the accused. Congress does not have a single leader who will stand by a Hindu," said BJP MP Pratap Simha.
"The Congress party does not support it [foodkit and cash distribution], and this might have been done by Zameer in his individual capacity," said Karnataka Youth Congress president Mohammad Nalappad.
Siddaramaiah tried to downplay the incident, saying Zameer was in away on a pilgrimage and one could not blame Zameer for what some people do in his name.
Incidentally, Anjuman-e-Islam, the supreme Islamic body in Hubballi, is set to file a bail plea for 154 accused arrested in the mob violence, which has further irked the BJP.
"Zameer is to Siddaramaiah what Nalappad is to [KPCC chief] D.K. Shivakumar. Both leaders have been encouraging the Muslim leaders in the party to polarise the minority votes against the BJP," alleged Simha.
The Congress, which used to be the biggest beneficiary of the Muslim vote in a communally polarised election, now has competition with the emergence of the SDPI and AIMIM.
At least four out of the 154 arrested in the Hubballi violence being AIMIM leaders, the SDPI links to the Bengaluru violence and the more recent hijab controversy, indicate that political ambitions of political parties are to blame for increasing communal polarisation in the state.
The BJP alleges that appeasement of minorities is an oldgame of the Congress party to safeguard its votebank. The BJP claimed that the "blind appeasement" was a threat to the country, citing the example of the previous Siddaramaiah government, which had withdrawn 175 cases booked against 1,614 members belonging to minority community in 2015.
"The consequence of appeasement is for everyone to see. The PFI and SDPI members are under the scanner for their role in the communal disturbaces in the state," said a BJP leader.
With the prominent Muslim faces in the state Congress—late Jaffer Sharief, C.M. Ibrahim and Roshan Baig (who both are out of the party)—now missing in action, there is rush among the second-rung leadership to emerge as the tallest leader from the community. While the list of potential pan-Karnataka leaders is a long one, with MLAs Tanveer Sait, NA Haris, Saleem Ahmed, U.T. Khader and Rizwan Arshad, Youth Congress president Mohammad Nalappad and Rajya Sabha MP Nasir Hussain, Zameer has been aggressively pursuing the community to win their confidence.
Zameer who was with the Janata Dal Secular before jumping ship to the Congress in 2018, is finding himself isolated in the party even as he makes desperate bids to emerge as the uncontested leader of the minorities in the state. However, each time, his efforts have been counter-productive and even the Congress leaders are afraid that Zameer's overzealous outreach and support to his community members might antagonise the majority Hindu voters. Zameer was also said to be upset after the party anointed Mangalore MLA U.T. Khader, as the deputy leader of the party in the Karnataka Assembly. His alleged meeting with C.M. Ibrahim, who quit the Congress recently to join the JD(S) as its state president has sparked rumours of Zameer's impending exit from the Congress party.
