Description
Imran Pratapgarhi is the chairman of our party's minority cell, Congress said. The BJP on Thursday opposed the inclusion of Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi on the 40-star Congress activist list for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly election, calling him "anti-national." Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Head of the BJP's Karnataka Election Management Committee Shobha Karandlaje has sought to know the 'link' between Congress and gangster politician Atiq Ahmad, who was recently assassinated shot in Uttar Pradesh.
She alleged that Pratapgarhi, a poet and politician, is close friends with Ahmad and used to call the gangster his "guru" and brother. He used to write poetry in praise of Ahmed, who would attend his "mushaira" (a gathering where poets recite poetry in Urdu), Karandlaje said.
Defending the party's decision, Congress spokesman Gourav Vallabh questioned why this issue arose.
"Imran Pratapgarhi is the chairman of our party's minority cell and he will come. What's wrong with that? We don't call the person who has committed a crime or who is behind bars," Vallabh told PTI.
BJP's Karandlaje claimed that a person who should have been arrested for supporting Atiq Ahmed has become the star of the Congress campaign.
"Although you know that Imran Pratapgarhi was involved in 'anti-national activities', you (Congress) are sending him to the Rajya Sabha and naming him as a star activist for Karnataka," he said, confronting the opposition party, which published its list of Wednesday's star activists.
BJP spokesman Sudhanshu Trivedi claimed that Congress is "allowing in destructive and fundamentalist elements".
"Imran Pratapgarhi used to write poetry praising Atiq. Atiq would also attend Pratapgarhi's poetry concerts. Imran's poems praise anti-national, anti-social and incite Muslims against Hindus," Trivedi said.
The ruling BJP is competing for the Assembly polls against its main rival, the Congress, while the JD(S) is also a major player in the state.
Karnataka will vote in a single phase on May 10 and results are expected on May 13.
