The Rajya Sabha victories of the Congress, which bagged three of the four seats in play in Karnataka, were marred by an unsavoury incident near the end of last month, with supporters of MP Syed Naseer Hussain raising ‘pro-Pakistan’ slogans. A controversy initially broke out over whether they had shouted “Naseer saab zindabad” or “Pakistan zindabad”, and led to the police filing a suo moto case. Three men were arrested based on a Forensic Science Laboratory report, circumstantial evidence and witness accounts. Home Minister G Parameshwara confirmed that the slogans were indeed raised, and legal action was being taken.
The slogan controversy is something the Congress could have done without, especially with the Lok Sabha elections around the corner. The uproar has deflected the focus away from the party’s rather comfortable Rajya Sabha win, and towards the ‘anti-national’ activity by the followers of Hussain. It has also overshadowed the BJP’s embarrassment of two MLAs defying the party whip—Shivaram Hebbar stayed home, while S T Somashekhar voted for the Congress. In the slanging match that ensued, the BJP grabbed the first-mover advantage by posting a private forensic lab’s report on social media and turned it into a ‘minority appeasement’ narrative, putting the Congress government on the defensive.
The Congress and its leaders would do well to reflect on the absurd behaviour of their followers and rein them in. Slogans hailing an enemy state are unpatriotic; they not only destroy the reputation of leaders and the party, but also do disservice to the community. The misguided elements behind this should realise that such slogans will only help the BJP gain more supporters. Besides, Pakistan is not a promised land to be hailed, but a country battling crises, and they are better off in this land. The government must take strict action against such mischief makers and send out a tough message. On a personal level, Congress leaders should weed out such confused elements who leave them vulnerable to attacks by the opposition; the BJP is already demanding an FIR against Hussain.
Nationalism is the flavour of this poll season and also a litmus test of sorts. Thanks to such idiocy by an insular section of supporters, the Congress, which has taken up a drive to save the Constitution and is talking about sovereignty, secularism, rights and personal freedoms, may be forced to eat humble pie at the hustings.