BENGALURU: Post the Davanagere South bypoll, the Muslim leadership in Karnataka is continuing to spar over disciplinary action taken by the Congress against two MLCs — K Abdul Jabbar, who was suspended from the party, and Naseer Ahmed, who was removed as the CM’s political secretary. While one group has attacked Deputy CM and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, holding him responsible for the ‘harsh’ action against the leaders, another group is defending Shivakumar.
Karnataka State Muslim Organisations’ Federation representatives, who held a press conference here on Monday, released copies of letters they wrote to the Congress high command, including Sonia Gandhi. They alleged that the Congress was indifferent to Muslims, despite the community standing by the party and playing a key role in bringing it to power in 2023.
“The KPCC chief has stated that no other party has provided as much protection to Muslims as the Congress has. This is highly condemnable. Protection is a right guaranteed to every citizen of this country by the Constitution.
It is not a favour given by any party to any community. Providing protection is the duty of a government... If the Congress assumes that support given for the sake of a secular government is a weakness of Muslims, or they have no other option, it will prove very costly for the party politically,” they warned. There were over 50 signatories from across the state.
Countering them is another group of Muslim leaders and KPCC office-bearers who defended the action against the MLCs for their alleged anti-party activities, which is helpful for the BJP. “It is clear the situation is a result of failure within a section of the Muslim leadership, which was unable to secure a ticket for a minority candidate,” they said.
The Congress was willing to consider a candidate from among several Muslim aspirants in Davanagere South. However, the leadership proposed only the name of Abdul Jabbar, disregarding several other capable aspirants, they claimed.
“It is also widely known among party workers that certain individuals, directly or indirectly, are engaged in anti-party activities.
These factions contributed to divisions within the Muslim vote base, deliberately creating confusion and misleading supporters, and ultimately benefiting the BJP,” they said. They also justified action against Jabbar and Naseer Ahmed, who reportedly refused to comply with the CM’s directives. They urged the AICC not to succumb to pressure tactics or political blackmail.