BELAGAVI: Housing and Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed’s recent “Muslim Speaker” remark, which has triggered a controversy, rocked the Council on Wednesday as the Opposition refused to listen to the minister’s reply and demanded his resignation. While the State Government defended Zameer and refused to budge on the demand of constituting a House Committee to probe the matter, the BJP members staged a walkout.
Recently, addressing a Congress rally in poll-bound Telangana, Zameer had said that never in the history of Karnataka, a Muslim was made the Assembly Speaker. “UT Khader has been made the Speaker. Now, all senior BJP leaders in the House have to say Namaskara sir. All this was possible because of Congress,” he had reportedly said.
During the Question Hour, as Zameer stood to reply to a question, BJP members got up to protest and demanded his expulsion from the Cabinet.
BJP MCL Kota Shrinivas Poojari charged that communalising the Speaker’s post was unconstitutional and anti-democratic. So the minister should either quit on his own or the government should expel him from the cabinet, he added.
Zameer said that he never disregarded the chair. The BJP members were misleading the house by quoting what he had not said.
Floor Leader NS Bosaraju said that Since the issue was not related to the Council it cannot be raised in this House. Horatti also agreed with the government’s stand. As the BJP members continued to protest alleging that the government was protecting the minister, the Chairman adjourned the House for a while.
Though backroom negotiations were held by Horatti with the Ruling and Opposition members, they did not fructify. As the House reconvened, the BJP members were adamant on their stand. BJP members Ravikumar said they have objected to the minister’s remark as he has taken their party name. “A minister has spoken in favour of a community despite taking oath on the Constitution... he is not fit to continue in the Cabinet,” he said.
The House was adjourned again. When the proceedings resumed, Poojari pressed for at least an apology from Zameer. “If the latter was not ready to express regret, a House Committee should be constituted to inquire into the whole incident,” Poojari demanded.