Bengaluru: The victory celebrations of Congress’s Syed Naseer Hussain, through which his supporters allegedly chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, has thrown the highlight on the two-term Rajya Sabha member of parliament.
Hussain, the 54-year-old MP from Ballari in Karnataka, is now the goal of all opposition barbs because the Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP) is utilizing the alleged episode as a platform to focus on the Congress social gathering forward of the Lok Sabha election.
The Siddaramaiah authorities has ordered a probe into the incident and despatched the video and voice samples to the forensics division to establish if any of Hussain’s supporters did certainly chant slogans in favour of India’s essential adversary.
The Rajya Sabha MP has clarified that his supporters mentioned ‘Nasir Sahaab Zindabad’ and that the BJP is utilizing the incident to flare up communal tensions for political beneficial properties.
In contrast to the candidature of Ajay Maken, Husain’s nomination didn’t see any protests from inside the Congress ranks. Most of the time, securing a Congress candidature to the Rajya Sabha is indication of the shut proximity to the Gandhis. However this doesn’t translate into mass-based help — the type that was seen at Hussain’s victory celebrations.
Hussain advised ThePrint that the BJP have been concentrating on him due to his religion and that he had tried to nook the Union authorities over points like farm legal guidelines, Manipur, inflation and unemployment amongst others. “BJP has all these things in mind, and they are also targeting me because they identify me with (Mallikarjuna) Kharge Sahaab also,” he added.
However who’s Hussain and why does he benefit from the patronage of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. ThePrint appears to be like on the rise of the
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‘Decent equations’
Hussain is from Ballari, a backward district bordering Andhra Pradesh, that gained notoriety within the peak of the unlawful mining ore scandal. He accomplished education in Ballari after which moved to Mysore for increased research.
That is the place he entered politics by the scholar motion and was elected the president of the St. Philomena’s school scholar union and later a normal secretary of the Mysore Metropolis College students Motion Committee. He then left for Jawaharlal Nehru College (JNU) the place he turned secretary, vice-president and the president of the scholars union.
Hussain later took up the function of the nationwide secretary of the Indian Youth Congress between 2001 and 2003. Throughout this era, he met senior Congress chief Oscar Fernandes by whom he began to fulfill senior social gathering leaders and make acquaintances, giving him much-needed entry to the powers that be.
Named later because the social gathering spokesperson, he appeared on TV debates throughout the two UPA governments, defending the Congress.
When a gap got here up within the Rajya Sabha in 2018, Kharge wished this seat to go to a pacesetter from the Kalyana-Karnataka area. “We were looking for a young leader, from either the minority or backward community from the Kalyana-Karnataka region….at the time…he was from JNU, knew people in Delhi, had youth Congress roots and was from Ballari,” mentioned one Congress chief.
Kharge is from Kalaburagi within the Kalyana-Karnataka area.
The particular person cited above mentioned that Hussain turned out to be a great match, had ‘decent equations’ with leaders in Delhi, Karnataka, and Ballari.
‘Brave to contest elections’
Hussain has not contested any normal election however has served because the vice chairman of advisory committees on the central boards on youngster labour, tobacco labour welfare amongst others. He was additionally appointed the chairman of two sub- committees within the Ministry of Labour. When Kharge turned the Union labour minister, Hussain’s function was instantly underneath him.
Because the late Fernandes and Kharge are from Karnataka, Hussain discovered a typical tongue to ascertain a greater reference to these leaders.
Hussain labored his approach into Kharge’s good books and is now a part of a four-member staff of coordinators connected to the nationwide president’s workplace together with Gurudeep Sappal, Gaurav Pandi and Pranav Jha.
Hussain is the Congress whip within the Rajya Sabha, and Kharge the Chief of the Opposition within the higher home.
The Congress chief says that he’s not a ‘bucket case’— referring to the Kannada expression which means flattering one’s approach by to increased positions.
Hussain was an aspirant for the Ballari metropolis meeting phase in 2018 and 2023 regardless that there’s little to recommend that he may have gained, contemplating that Gail Janardhana Reddy’ spouse, his brother Somashekara Reddy and businessman Bharat Reddy have been within the fray.
“He is quite capable (to contest elections)…in fact, he had asked to contest in the assembly elections (May 2023) from Ballari city. At that time, he may not have won but the point is that he is brave enough to contest,” the Congress chief mentioned.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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