"When We Were Friends...": Karnataka Minister Clarifies Amid 'Kaalia' Row

Amid the massive row over his alleged racist remark against Union minister HD Kumaraswamy, Karnataka minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan has said he called the JDS leader "Kaalia" out of affection and that he was ready to apologise if the comment upset him.

The minister said this was not the first time he had used the word for HD Kumaraswamy. "Why is it that big (an issue)? I would apologise if I had called him that for the first time. In the days when we were close friends, Kumaraswamy used to address me as Kulla (dwarf) and I would call him Kariya (dark). If Kumaraswamy or anyone else is hurt, I would seek their apology," the minister told the media.

A five-time Congress MLA, Mr Khan is a Congress minister in the Siddaramaiah-led state government and handles housing, Waqf and minority welfare portfolios. He was campaigning for the Congress's CP Yogeeshwara in Channapatna Assembly constituency. Mr Yogeeshwara, who had switched to the BJP, has returned to the Congress and will take on HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil in the upcoming bypoll. The Channapatna Assembly seat was vacated when Mr Kumaraswamy, the sitting MLA, was elected to Lok Sabha.

Speaking about Mr Yogeshwara's return to the Congress, Mr Khan said, "Due to some differences in our party, he contested as an Independent. He had no option but to join the BJP. He was not ready to join the JD(S) because 'Kaaliya Kumaraswamy' was more dangerous than the BJP. Now he has come back home," the state minister said.

The remark drew a sharp response from the JDS, which termed it a "new low in political discourse". "The nation vehemently condemns the disgraceful and racially charged remarks by Zameer Ahmed against HD Kumaraswamy. This kind of hateful language marks a new low in political discourse and has no place in a civilized society. We demand accountability from leaders who choose divisive attacks over constructive dialogue," the party said in a post on X.

Kiren Rijiju, BJP leader and Mr Kumaraswamy's colleague in the central government, slammed the remark and used the opportunity to target Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "I strongly deplore Congress Minister Zameer Ahmed calling Union Minister & Ex CM of Karnataka Sh. Kumaraswamy as 'Kaalia Kumaraswamy'. This is a racist remark, same as Rahul Gandhi's adviser calling South Indians look like Africans, North East as Chinese, North Indians as Arabs," he said.