Lagatar24 Desk
Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan has sparked outrage over an alleged racist comment directed at Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy. The remark has escalated tensions between the Congress and JD(S), with the latter demanding Khan’s immediate dismissal from the Cabinet.
The controversy erupted when Khan, while discussing Congress candidate CP Yogeeshwara’s return to the party from the BJP, made a statement referencing Kumaraswamy. “Due to some differences in our party, he contested as an independent. He had no option but to join the BJP. He was not ready to join the JD(S) because ‘Kaaliya Kumaraswamy’ was more dangerous than the BJP. Now he (Yogeeshwara) has come back home,” Khan said. The term “Kaaliya” is considered a derogatory slur against individuals with dark skin.
JD(S) leaders swiftly condemned the remark, branding it as a “racist” insult. The party took to social media to question the Congress leadership, highlighting the skin color of key figures such as Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and ministers HC Mahadevappa, Satish Jarakiholi, Priyank Kharge, and KH Muniyappa. “Dismiss such a low mentality person from the Cabinet immediately,” the JD(S) demanded in a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a “new low in political discourse.”
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju also denounced Khan’s comment, stating, “I strongly deplore Congress Minister Zameer Ahmed calling Union Minister & Ex-CM of Karnataka Sh. Kumaraswamy as ‘Kaalia Kumaraswamy.’ This is a racist remark, similar to previous instances where derogatory comments have been made about various Indian communities.”
The political fallout comes as Nikhil Kumaraswamy, HD Kumaraswamy’s son, contests the Channapatna assembly bypoll as an NDA candidate on the JD(S) ticket, with CP Yogeeshwara as his opponent from the Congress.
