Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta hoisting the national flag as part of the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign at his residence in New Delhi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Dakshina Kannada MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta on Friday criticised Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan’s reported inability to hoist the national flag at Vijayanagara district headquarters on Independence Day.Mr. Khan was the Minister-in-charge of Vijayanagara district to oversee natural calamity relief works till Friday. He reportedly wrote to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday expressing his inability to be in charge of any district owing to his commitment to party work and had also sought exemption from hoisting the national flag. On Friday, Mr. Shivakumar appointed Fisheries Minister K.S. Basavantappa as the Vijayanagara in-charge Minister.In a statement, Capt. Chowta said Mr. Khan’s gesture reflects the Congress party’s long-standing tendency to treat power as a means to enjoy the privileges of office while conveniently avoiding the responsibilities that come with it. He termed Mr. Khan’s remarks the “height of unapologetic irresponsibility”.This was not an isolated incident, the MP said, adding that it was part of a pattern that has repeatedly undermined the dignity of public office. “Earlier, the Minister chose to take the oath in English instead of Kannada. What followed was a series of glaring errors and mispronunciations that turned the entire oath-taking ceremony into a meme, reducing a solemn constitutional exercise to an object of ridicule and showing complete disregard for Kannada and Karnataka.”“And now, we have a situation where the same Minister is reportedly too busy to discharge official responsibilities and even refuses to hoist the Tiranga. This is not just about one individual or one incident. It reflects a deeper mindset.”Congress approach to governanceCapt. Chowta said the latest episode once again exposed the Congress party’s approach to governance. “Governance is not about occupying positions of authority while selectively choosing which responsibilities to fulfil.”He further said that the Congress government had repeatedly displayed conduct that was anti-woman, anti-Constitution and anti-Kannada.He said, “The Congress government has reduced the entire exercise of governance to a joke. The people of Karnataka deserve accountability, responsibility, and respect for the Constitution, Kannada and the Tiranga.” Published - August 14, 2026 08:22 pm IST
