BENGALURU: Haj and Wakf minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has taken a U-turn on his demand for the SUV earlier used by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and said that he had never asked for a luxury car.
As the demand drew criticism and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy advocated austerity to his ministerial colleagues, Zameer on Tuesday, retracted his demand and declared, “I have not made any demand for a big car.
I had only asked for a used Toyota Fortuner car in the department. I have not asked for a Benz or BMW which would cost Rs 1 crore or Rs 2 crore. My request for an already used Fortuner car has been misquoted. I do not want a luxury car when the CM is struggling for resources to waive farm loans. I am even ready to give up my present car, if necessary, for the welfare of farmers,” Zameer said.
Zameer, who met Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy here on Tuesday to present a request for liberal allocation in the budget for welfare of the Muslim community, blamed the media for the car controversy.
He also tried to put an end to the row over his proposal to name the Haj Bhavan after Tipu Sultan in the face of opposition from BJP. “I had only spoken about the suggestions I received from all over the state for renaming it after Tipu Sultan. A decision will be taken only after discussing the issue with the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and others,” Zameer said.
Pointing to the fact that `40 crore was released during B S Yeddyurappa’s tenure as CM for construction of Haj Bhavan, Zameer said, the opinion of Yeddyurappa would be sought too before naming the Haj Bhavan. BJP leaders have suggested former President APJ Abdul Kalam’s name for the Haj Bhavan.