Reportedly the last minute leap CP Yogeshwar made from bjp to congress for the Channapatna by-election looked like a calculated move, but the real blow came from unexpected quarters his own congress ally Zameer ahmed Khan. A visibly upset and almost resigned Yogeshwar didn’t hold back in blaming Khan if he loses the election. “This by-election was critical for me. Khan’s statements may have been intended to gain votes, but they have caused us to lose votes as well," the five-time mla and political heavyweight.
Meanwhile Khan’s remarks on Kumaraswamy were sharp. “CP Yogeshwar did not go to JD(S) because ‘kalia’ (the black man) Kumaraswamy is worse than the BJP. Mr Kumaraswamy is looking to buy Muslim votes after joining the bjp, but instead, all the Muslims will pool their money and buy your (Kumaraswamy’s) family." Playing a purported audio clip through the microphone, where a man is heard saying there will be no votes from Muslims, Khan asked the crowd: “Who is saying this? The kala (black) Kumaraswamy." The statement was shocking even to his party colleagues Raheem Khan, former Bengaluru mp DK Suresh, and Yogeshwar who stood beside him at the rally and exchanged glances.
Moreover Khan, Karnataka’s housing, Waqf, and minority affairs minister, is no stranger to controversy. Already under fire for his involvement in the Waqf land scandal, he stirred up further controversy last december during the election campaign in Telangana. In his address during a campaign rally, Khan boasted about the increased representation of Muslims in Karnataka’s government, emphasising Congress’s role in appointing UT Khader as the state’s first Muslim Speaker.
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