Cong may crack whip against Khan for his ‘racist’ slur against Kumaraswamy, indicates Paramaeshwara

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday indicated that the state Congress may initiate disciplinary proceedings against Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan for referring to Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as “Kaalia” (dark-skinned), which the NDA had slammed as a “racist” slur.

Several Congress office-bearers have been pushing the party to crack the whip against Khan, a lawmaker from Chamarajpet, accusing him of causing damage and embarrassment to the party.

“Our state Congress President (D K Shivakumar), after the by-polls, has said that his (Khan’s) statement had its impact on the election. There is a disciplinary committee in the party under (K) Rahman Khan (former Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha). If the party president refers the matter to the disciplinary committee, they may call Khan and inquire him,” Parameshwara said to a question on the impact of the Minister’s statement on by-polls Speaking to reporters here, he said: “if the matter is serious in nature the committee may recommend action against him.” Many Congress leaders and those in the political circles believe that Khan’s statement had an adverse impact on the party’s prospects in the Channapatna Assembly segment, which went for by-polls along with Shiggaon and Sandur seats on November 13. The results will be declared on November 23.

Khan had made those comments, during the campaigning in Channapatna, where Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the joint candidate of BJP-JD(S) alliance.

He had also claimed that the Muslim community had enough strength to raise funds to “buy” Kumaraswamy’s family.

Former PM and veteran politician H D Deve Gowda is Kumaraswamy’s father.

Khan’s comments had also come under intense criticism from the Vokkaliga community to which the Gowda family belongs to.

Channapatna Congress candidate C P Yogeeshwara too, after the voting, had lamented that Khan’s controversial statements might have had an adverse impact on his high-stakes battle in the Vokkaliga dominated constituency.

With his comments becoming a major controversy, Khan last week tendered an apology.