Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Sep 15: Relating to drugs and casinos, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and Congress legislator B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan exchanged barbs.

Speaking to media persons in the city on Monday, September 14, Zameer Ahmed Khan quipped whether visiting Colombo was wrong on his part. "I had visited Colombo even in the company of Kumarasamy. Does my visit Colombo mean that I had been to casinos?" he wondered.

Zameer said he had been to Colombo with family twice in the past and also with Kumaraswamy and other JD(S) MLAs. "I have done nothing wrong, but he is trying to finish me off politically. Who says that I went to Colombo with Sanjjana? Has Sanjjana provided any proof of the same? Why do you question me on the basis of what Sambargi says about me? Why don't you question Sambargi about his photograph with drugs dealer, Rahul?" he questioned.

Zameer said that he had done a lot of service relating to people who died of coronavirus infection. He lamented that the media did not highlight his service but concentrated on what Sambargi had to say about him. He said he has filed a defamation suit. He also said that he might have been photographed in the company of different people but it does not mean that he was involved in illegal activities with them. He said he does not have anything to do with Faisal and he has not seen him for the last three years. "I go for the Umrah every year, Faisal would have come at that time," he explained.

Former chief minister Kumaraswamy said that Zameer is trying to derail the process of investigation by referring to old topics. He said he does not understand why he is referring to the tour of 2014 now.

Minister C T Ravi advised Zameer not to seek the shield of minority tag to escape from irregularities. He said that a legal investigation will be conducted into the drugs trade and no one can escape from it.

Speaking to media persons at Vidhana Soudha here, he said that drugs case probe will go on and caste and religious affiliations do not matter there. He wanted the investigating officers to check Zameer's passport.

"Zameer had announced that if Yediyurappa became the chief minister he would work as a watchman at his residence. He should clarify to discussions going on in the social media," he reminded Zameer. Ravi said that Shaikh Faisal is said to be the kingpin of drugs racket. "From the photo, it appears that the two have had connections with each other since several births. It does not seem like a photograph taken at some programme as claimed by Siddaramaiah. Therefore there is suspicion," he stated.