Cong made a Muslim Speaker, whom BJP leaders greet with Sahab Namaskar': Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan
Bengaluru, Nov 17: Karnataka Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan has landed in controversy saying that the Congress made a Muslim -- U T Khader -- Speaker of the Legislative Assembly before whom the "best-of-the-best" BJP leaders salute and say Sahab Namaskar'.
During an election campaign in poll-bound Telangana, the Housing, Wakf and Minority Welfare Minister pointed out that no Muslim had ever become the assembly speaker in Karnataka's history, but Congress gave that respect to a person from the community this time.
"No one (from the Muslim community) in the history of Karnataka had become the Speaker of the assembly. Congress party made U T Khader the Assembly Speaker. Today the best-of-the-best BJP leaders stand before Khader saying Sahab Namaskar'. Who made him? It's Congress," Khan told a gathering.
The minister said nine Muslims were elected to the Karnataka assembly in the May elections of 17 who were given tickets. Of these nine, five have been given "power", he said.
As the minister's statement drew sharp criticism from various quarters, he said he had spoken only about the respect given to the Muslim Community by the Congress party and did not insult legislators of any party.
A statement issued by his office said that being a star campaigner in the Telangana Assembly polls, Khan has not spoken in an insulting manner against any individual or the party legislators.
"In Karnataka, the Congress party has 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 honourable speaker. The Congress party had given that opportunity to rise to such a top post," the statement read.
Khan also said the Karnataka BJP unit President B Y Vijayendra and others have read his statement "wrong" and are trying to rake up a controversy.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
