No role in plans to give food kits, aid to families of Hubballi violence accused: Zameer Ahmed Khan
Bengaluru, Apr 29: Amid reports that he had plans to distribute food kits and financial aid to the families of those accused in the Hubballi violence, Karnataka Congress leader and MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan on Friday clarified that he is in Mecca on a pilgrimage, and has nothing to do with it.
The clarification came even as he received flak from several BJP leaders and the Hubballi-Dharwad unit of the party, even writing to the Police Commissioner not to permit such an activity.
"I have come to Mecca on a pilgrimage since April 17th. The recent allegations on me are completely baseless & false. I have no role in any activities mentioned in the allegations on me," Khan tweeted.
Stating that he has seen reports of Zameer supporting the accused in the violence, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the Congress leader in his capacity as an MLA should have condemned them, but he is supporting and trying to "become their hero".
"This will send a wrong message to the society that indulging in such activities will fetch rewards. It is dangerous for maintenance of peace and order. The whole society will have to condemn anti-social and communal elements who try to disturb peace...Congress will have to think about it," he said.
However, jumping into the MLA's defence, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah said Khan has gone on 'Umrah'.
Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, in Saudi Arabia that can be undertaken at any time of the year.
"If someone distributes food kits, how can you say Zameer is doing it, Zameer is on Umrah...," the former chief minister said.
I have come to Mecca on a pilgrimage since April 17th. The recent allegations on me are completely baseless & false.
— B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan (@BZZameerAhmedK) April 29, 2022
I have no role in any activities mentioned in the allegations on me.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
