Bengaluru: After Congress party candidates won three out of the four Rajya Sabha seats in Karnataka on Tuesday, February 27, some local news channels reported that “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised by the supporters of re-elected Congress MP Dr Syed Naseer Hussain. Subsequently, these news reports were widely shared by BJP leaders on platform X (formerly called Twitter). However, closer examination of the video suggested that the slogans were “Nasir Saab Zindabad” not “Pakistan Zindabad,” the Congress party claimed.
The state assembly session was adjourned on Wednesday after BJP MLAs repeatedly protested and raised slogans against Hussain and the Congress party.
“Frustrated & demoralised by their resounding defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka, BJP leaders are peddling their favourite set of lowly lies of Pakistan Zindabad slogans being raised by supporters of Congress MP,” Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote on X refuting the BJP’s claims while posting a video of the alleged incident.
Frustrated & demoralised by their resounding defeat in the Rajya Sabha elections in #Karnataka, BJP leaders are peddling their favourite set of lowly lies of Pakistan Zindabad slogans being raised by supporters of Congress MP elect, Sh. @NasirHussainINC !
Not only is this an… pic.twitter.com/S8IlhVZVzW
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) February 28, 2024
In a series of posts, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair highlighted on X how the videos taken from different angles showcase that the slogans were indeed in the name of the MP and not Pakistan.
Kannada News Channels are propagating the lie of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans being heard. The supporters of @NasirHussainINC said ‘Nasir Saab Zindabad’. The lies by the News channels is picked up by BJP leaders like @ShobhaBJP @RAshokaBJP @BYVijayendra in Karnataka.
Even the… https://t.co/9w8vGRegXI pic.twitter.com/iYvKbexN6bAdvertisement— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 27, 2024
Here is the video from another angle.
The person says ‘Nasir Hussain Zindabad… Nasir Saab Zindabad’When will @siddaramaiah take action against these News Channels for spreading Communal Disinformation. https://t.co/9w8vGRegXI pic.twitter.com/9qbcxhQ4KX
Advertisement— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 27, 2024
Here is the video from another angle. The person says ‘Nasir Hussain Zindabad… Nasir Saab Zindabad’
Spoke to at least 4 Reports present there, Including a tweet by ANI reporter said none of them heard ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ Slogan.
When will @siddaramaiah take action against… pic.twitter.com/sHWZRsUzwZ— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 27, 2024
Journalist Madhu @MadhunaikBunty present during the sloganeering says there were no Pakistan Zindabad slogans. https://t.co/cpGxs7Byik
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 27, 2024
At least 5 News reporters present there have categorically denied listening to ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans.
Here is the video from another angle. The person says ‘Nasir Hussain Zindabad… Nasir Saab Zindabad’. But Local News channels ran this Communally disinformation campaign… https://t.co/Umqed7ffF1 pic.twitter.com/5pMFyKIuIA— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 27, 2024
Rejecting the BJP’s claim, Congress leader Hussain issued a video statement on X and claimed that he only heard slogans such as ‘Naseer Hussain Zindabad,’ ‘Congress party Zindabad,’ ‘Naseer Khan Zindabad,’ and ‘Naseer Saab Zindabad.’
“When I was leaving for my house, I got a call from the media saying that somebody has raised slogans of Pakistan Zindabad. I would like to say here when I was there, when I was in the midst of the people there were lots of slogans… I never heard a slogan called Pakistan Zindabad. But whatever is there we have already asked the police, let the police investigate,” Hussain said.
“If somebody has given (raised) such a type of a slogan then he has to be dealt with sternly and strictly. There has to be an inquiry and in case somebody has morphed the video, doctored the video and played a mischief even that has to be inquired,” Hussain added.
Clarification on today’s incident pic.twitter.com/cJuiYCU3H1
— Dr Syed Naseer Hussain,MP Rajya Sabha (@NasirHussainINC) February 27, 2024
Meanwhile, the Bengaluru Police registered a suo motu FIR against an unidentified man for shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” in the corridors of the Karnataka state assembly, Times of India reported.
As per the report, the FIR was filed based on electronic media news reports. Further, Times of India also reported that BJP MLC N. Ravikumar and opposition chief whip and MLA Doddanagowda Patil also filed a complaint with Vidhana Soudha (Karnataka assembly) police against Hussain, alleging that his supporters were the ones who had shouted “Pakistan Zindabad” while he was speaking to the media after being declared winner in the Rajya Sabha polls.
Also read: Survey Finds False Information Risk Highest in India
“We have obtained the video and analysing it,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda told News18.
Karnataka BJP leaders react
Union minister of state for Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje claimed that “infiltration by banned PFI members within parties, including the Congress, linked to yesterday’s episode”. Posting a letter on X addressed to Amit Shah, the minister wrote that she has asked for a “rigorous NIA inquiry, following the state government’s inaction” on the slogan raising matter.
Concerns arise as supporters of Congress Rajya Sabha contestant Nasir Hussain, observed chanting Pakistan Zindabad slogans, right under his watch.
This incident, highlighting security breaches within our democracy’s temple, demands urgent attention.
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/p3ylW172gE— Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) February 28, 2024
Union minister of state for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development,Electronics & Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar also retweeted a post shared by the Karnataka BJP claiming that “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised in the state assembly.
ಸನ್ಮಾನ್ಯ ಸಿಎಂ @siddaramaiah ಅವರೇ, ನಿಮ್ಮ @INCKarnataka ದ ನೂತನ ರಾಜ್ಯಸಭಾ ಸದಸ್ಯ @NasirHussainINC ಬೆಂಬಲಿಗರು ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧದ ಆವರಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾಕಿಸ್ಥಾನ್ ಜಿಂದಾಬಾದ್ ಎಂಬ ಘೋಷಣೆ ಕೂಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಸಂಸದ ನಾಸೀರ್ ಹುಸೇನ್ ಬೆಂಬಲಿಗರು ಕೂಗಿದ ಘೋಷಣೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತನಿಖೆ ಮಾಡಿಸಿ, ದೇಶ ವಿರೋಧಿಗಳನ್ನು ಹೆಡೆಮುರಿ ಕಟ್ಟಿ.… pic.twitter.com/7sVr2H8tdc
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) February 27, 2024
Similarly, Karnataka BJP president Vijayendra Yediyurappa also wrote on X that it is “highly blasphemous of Congress supporters to have openly raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans”.
Highly Blasphemous of Congress supporters to have openly raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans within the sanctum sanctorum of the Temple of Democracy, Vidhana Soudha. One can only imagine the type of venomous elements they might be harboring against the interests of the Nation.…
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) February 27, 2024
Similar instances in the past
This is not the first instance when BJP supporters and certain sections of the media asserted that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised by Congress supporters and other Opposition party members.
On several occasions, Alt News debunked several such claims where names of leaders have been misrepresented as ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ by BJP members and news channels. Zubair pointed out 21 such reports written by the fact-check media outlet.
A Thread 🧵
We at @AltNews have observed that supporters of the BJP often portray members of opposition as pro-Pakistan. We have debunked several such claims where names of leaders have been misrepresented as ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ by BJP members & News Channels & their Anchors. 👇— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) February 27, 2024
For instance, in December 2021, News24 had reported that ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans were raised at Dudhai village in Kachchh, Gujarat after gram panchayat election results were announced based on a viral video. Several other local media outlets, including VTV Gujarati and web portal Vibes of India also reported on the video underlining that such slogans were raised. However, as per a report published in Divya Bhaskar, Superintendent of Police Mayur Patel clarified that locals were actually chanting ‘Radhubhai Zindabad’, Alt News noted.
In a similar incident, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP MP Rajdeep Roy and other BJP leaders posted on X in November 2020 that All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal was welcomed at Silchar airport in Assam with “Pakistan Zindabad slogans”. TimesNow, NewsLive and other news outlets also reported on the matter. This claim was found to be false by Alt News as closer examination of the videos highlighted that the AIUDF supporters were raising slogans of ‘Aziz Khan zindabad’.
