Karnataka minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan on Tuesday tendered an unconditional apology for referring to Union minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy as Kalia. There was an uproar in Karnataka politics regarding the statement of BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan. NDA had condemned it. The Congress leader clarified that he had addressed Kumaraswamy in this manner earlier also out of affection when they had a good bonding and this was not the first time.
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Zameer Ahmed Khan said that if my statement has hurt anyone, then I apologize. Earlier when I was with him, he used to affectionately call me ‘Kulla’ (small) and I used to call him ‘Kala’. If anyone has been hurt by my statement, I am ready to apologize. Along with this he said that I have a lot of respect for Deve Gowda. He had said that he would buy Muslim votes in the elections. This is not an issue on which I need to resign. My statement was interpreted differently. My statement will have no impact on the elections.
Earlier, BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan had created a controversy by calling Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy ‘Kalia’. Janata Dal (Secular) demanded the Congress government to dismiss Zameer from the cabinet for his racist remarks. Khan, while addressing an election rally in Ramnagar on Sunday, had said that Congress candidate from Channapatna, CP Yogishwar, had earlier had no option but to join the BJP. The minister said that due to some differences in our party Congress, he had contested the elections as an independent candidate. He had no option but to join BJP. He was not ready to join JD(S) because Kalia Kumaraswamy was more dangerous than BJP.
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In the Channapatna assembly by-election, Yogishwar faces Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is contesting as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate on a JD(S) ticket. JD(S) expressed strong objection to Jamir’s statement along with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Ministers H.C. Mahadevappa, Satish Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge and K.H. Asked the color of Muniyappa.
