Karnataka does not fail to provide more than its share of Nataka (theatrics) when it comes to politics and its politicians.
Now, the state Housing Minister, Zameer Ahmed Khan, has declared that he is ready to go to Pakistan with a bomb strapped to him. In a video posted on X, the minister is heard saying, “If needed, I will go on a suicide mission. I’m not saying this as a joke or out of josh.”
The video post, made on Friday, generated quite a controversy as he said, “If the country needs me, let Narendra Modi and Amit Shah give me a suicide bomb—I swear on Allah (the God), I will tie it and go to Pakistan.”
The minister maintained in conversations with media personnel, “We are Indians and Hindustanis, and have no relation with Pakistan. We are ready to wage war with Pakistan.”
In sheer jingoism, the Karnataka minister seems to have overtaken everyone else in the political field, much in keeping with the Congress stance after the Pahalgam incident. The Congress said it was fully with the government and urged it to take whatever action it deemed fit to teach Pakistan a lesson.
But in terms of jingoism, the Karnataka minister seems to have outdone even members of the hardcore right-wing ecosystem. His utterances drew sharp remarks from the BJP. Union Minister from Karnataka, Pralhad Joshi, termed his remarks childish and advised him to stay silent and trust in the Army. Joshi said that the biggest service Zameer could render to the nation would be to stay quiet.