Calls for greater Muslim representation in the Karnataka Cabinet are growing louder, with the community staging protests and holding press conferences across the state.
Leaders from the Muslim community have been demanding at least five ministerial posts in the Cabinet headed by new Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. The demand is for B Z Zameer Ahmad Khan, N A Harris, Tanveer Sait, and Saleem Ahmed to be inducted into the Cabinet.
The Congress party is already tackling disgruntlement from the first set of 13 ministers—carefully chosen to represent all major communities—who were sworn in along with Shivakumar on June 3. The party chose UT Khader from the Muslim community. The second round of expansion will also likely see its share of discontentment.
Since the change in leadership, there have been protests demanding not just increased ministerial positions for the Muslim community; many protests have been held in support of Zameer Ahmed.
A protest was organised in Hospet, Vijayanagara district, demanding that Zameer be inducted into the Cabinet. Zameer was the minister in charge of the district.
Raichur district also saw a protest in support of Zameer Ahmed being made a minister, where protesters pointed out that Congress leaders from other communities were not disciplined for anti-party activities.
The reference was to accusations that Zameer Ahmed colluded with other party leaders to sabotage the Congress candidate Samarth Shivashankarappa during the bye-poll to the Davanagere South seat. Although Zameer escaped scrutiny for alleged internal sabotage of the election, other leaders faced disciplinary action, prompting many Muslim leaders to recall that Shamanur Shivashankarappa had openly campaigned for BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavedendra during the Lok Sabha election in 2024, but the party was silent on it.
Similarly, another protest was held on June 6 in Hosadurga in Chitradurga district in support of making MLC and Chief Whip in the Legislative Council Saleem Ahmed a minister.
“Muslims in northern Karnataka have always supported the Congress. It is painful that despite this, when it comes to cabinet representation, the Muslim leaders from this region are ignored,” said one Muslim leader.
Aafnag Yousuf Usman said that for the past two decades, Muslims in Kittur, Karnataka and northern Karnataka had not been adequately represented in the Cabinet. He said that Saleem Ahmed had experience in organising activities, social service and public life.