Bengaluru, Nov 16 (IANS): Reacting to a slur by Minister for Tourism and Waqf against Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel, HD Kumaraswamy, the Karnataka Congress accepted that Minister Zameer Khan’s comment was wrong and stated that he would be corrected.
Speaking to reporters, Karnataka Congress President and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated in Bengaluru on Saturday, “Primarily it is their personal matter. Minister Zameer should not have spoken like this. Distinction over fair or dark skin is not correct. He should not have spoken about it. As the state President of the party, I am stating that what Minister Zameer said is wrong.”
“We have conveyed to Minister Zameer internally that what he stated was wrong and he has tendered his apologies. I, being a state President am telling you one should not go to that level. I don’t know the relation between Minister Zameer and Union Minister Kumaraswamy,” Dy CM Shivakumar stated.
“Let people decide whether Union Minister Kumaraswamy addressing Minister Zameer as “kulla (shorty)” was correct or Zameer calling him “kariyanna” was correct. I am talking about Zameer’s statement and it is wrong. On record I am saying that it is wrong.
“I can’t talk about action against him in public, we will correct him,” he stated.
Sources in the Congress party stated that Muslim leaders have written a letter to Dy CM Shivakumar seeking action against Minister Zameer for his remarks and the party is contemplating action.
Kumaraswamy had slammed Zameer Khan and also those defending his disparaging remarks.
“The Congress leaders are claiming that we were close and racist remarks are not a big deal. If they have any shame, they should know that if we were close, the closeness was over politics and it was not on personal levels,” he clarified.
Zameer Khan had stirred a controversy some days ago when he addressed Kumaraswamy as ‘Kaala Kumaraswamy’.
However, hours later, he tendered an apology stating, “We both are very close. He used to fondly address me as “kulla” (shorty) and I used to address him as “kariyanna” (blacky).”