Karnataka Cong chief calls Umar Khalid 'nationalist'; BJP hits back

Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress Chief B.K. Hariprasad on Tuesday called imprisoned activist Umar Khalid a "nationalist" and criticised the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) for opposing a proposed documentary screening of the student activist at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru.

"Umar Khalid is a nationalist. And ABVP has no right to speak about Umar Khalid because ABVP adores Nathuram Godse, who is anti-national; the first terrorist of the country. They have no moral right or moral ethics to speak about Umar Khalid," Hariprasad told reporters.

These remarks came as the ABVP in Bengaluru demanded to cancel a proposed campus screening of filmmaker Lalit Vachani's documentary on imprisoned activist Umar Khalid, titled 'Prisoner No. 626710 is Present'.

The documentary was scheduled to be screened at NLSIU on September 14 by the Law and Society Committee (Law Soc), a student organisation at the university.

However, the NLSIU said that the event was rescheduled due to "logistical" and "security considerations".

The event was being organised in solidarity with Umar Khalid and was marking six years since his imprisonment without trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit out at the Karnataka Congress President's remark, calling it "deeply condemnable", while also recalling the time when the Congress gave "warm reception" to Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin Malik.

Speaking to the reporters, BJP MP Sambit Patra said, "Today, the kind of statement made by Karnataka Congress President B. K. Hariprasad is deeply condemnable. In the context of ABVP opposing a documentary screening on Umar Khalid at the National Law School of India University, B.K. Hariprasad referred to Umar Khalid as a nationalist. B.K. Hariprasad claimed that Umar Khalid is a nationalist while raising questions over the credentials of the ABVP."

"Just think about it: this is the same Umar Khalid. During the Citizenship Amendment Act protests in February 2020, so many people were killed in Delhi. A case was filed under the UAPA. The matter was heard across multiple courts; even in February 2026, just a few months ago, the Supreme Court rejected Umar Khalid's bail plea. Look at the sympathy the Congress party harbours for that very Umar Khalid -- they are calling him a nationalist!" Patra added.

The BJP MP also lashed out at the Congress over its meetings with Yasin Malik and said that the party has reduced itself to "appeasement".

"This is the same Congress party that once invited Yasin Malik and embraced him, and former PM late Manmohan Singh had, in a sense, even honoured him. So Yasin Maliks and Umar Khalids are the nationalists for the Congress party, while they have always demeaned the core ideology of India. This is what the Congress party has reduced itself to in appeasement," Patra said.

He added that the people of Karnataka and the people of India will give a "fitting reply" to the Congress over Yasin Malik.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]