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Siddaramaiah Vs DK Shivakumar: Controversy has arisen due to the statement of Congress leader BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan that there are more Muslims than Vokkaliga in Karnataka. Vokkaliga leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at Khan, terming him as an attempt to project the politically dominant community as small. However, Congress leaders objected to this remark and tried to compensate for the loss.
There are reports that prominent Vokkaliga saint Nirmalanandanath Swamiji has conveyed his unhappiness to the Congress leaders in this regard. In view of the controversy, the Congress leadership has advised Jamir to avoid such rhetoric. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala issued the letter saying, “You are warned to be careful in future while making public comments and follow the party’s discipline and ideology.”
What did BZ Zameer Khan say?
Khan, who is considered close to Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, had recently said that no one can become chief minister with the support of just one community, while reacting to state Congress president DK Shivakumar’s attempt to organize the Vokkaliga community.
Khan had said, “No one can become a chief minister with the support of one community, everyone (to be a chief minister) has a desire, and there is nothing wrong in that… (but) by taking all the communities together. To become Chief Minister) is possible. I also aspire to become chief minister, my community percentage is more than Vokkaliga. Is it possible for me to become chief minister simply by getting the support of my community? Not possible?”
Shivakumar, who hails from the Vokkaliga community, had recently called for support from the community in his endeavor to become the chief minister. Vokkaliga is a large boat bank in Mysuru or Southern Karnataka region.
Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have been engulfed in a battle for supremacy for several months and both are projecting themselves as chief ministerial contenders if the Congress comes to power after the assembly elections in 2023.
Although Siddaramaiah is constantly saying that only the newly elected MLAs and high command will decide who will be the next chief minister, but his supporters, including Khan, are openly giving statements in favor of their leader, ignoring warnings of disciplinary action. This has created a kind of division in the party.
Khan’s statement that Muslims are more than Vokkaliga in the state in an attempt to project Siddaramaiah as the chief minister’s face has sparked a controversy and has come under the scanner of several leaders.
Vokkaliga leader (Congress) from Mandya Cheluvarayaswamy said “unnecessary rhetoric” about the community was not correct. Another Congress leader and MLA Priyank Kharge, without naming anyone, said that those holding responsible positions should see that what they speak does not harm the community, party and society.
BJP’s target
BJP leaders slammed Khan, also targeting Shivakumar for interfering with the community to further his ambitions and said the Vokkaligas were not affiliated with any one party.
R Ashok, a minister and a prominent Vokkaliga face in the ruling BJP, said the community would not forgive the Congress and it should stop such talk. He said, “Solve your issues within the party, don’t bring the community in the middle, this country runs according to the Constitution, where the Chief Minister is for the entire state and not for any community….. ”
He said, “Don’t cross the Lakshmanrekha on Vokkaliga. Congress already has an experience because the way it treated Virendra Patil (former chief minister), his community (Lingayat) is still not with the party.
BJP general secretary CT Ravi said that there was a time when there was a feeling that elections could be won only with the help of Muslim votes, which led to the politics of appeasement.
He said, “That time has long gone, Zameer Bhai (BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan)….. the talk of threatening and blackmailing in the name of vote bank has passed long ago. Jamir Bhai, remember that today one can do politics only by saying ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and working for the people.
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