The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Karnataka): In a recent outburst of communal rhetoric, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal has come under fire for his derogatory comments targeting Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao’s wife, Tabassum Rao. The comments emerged following a tweet by Rao questioning the BJP’s role in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast in Bengaluru, which injured ten people on March 1st.
Yatnal’s remarks described Rao’s household as “half Pakistani,” alluding to Tabassum’s Muslim identity. This statement has led to two legal complaints filed against Yatnal; one by the Gandhinagar Block Congress Committee and another personally by Tabassum Rao. The complaints cite the remarks as cheap, derogatory, and defamatory, challenging the notion of questioning an individual’s Indianness based on their religion.
Tabassum Rao responded robustly on the social media platform X, defending her Indianness and demanding action against Yatnal from the Election Commission, the Prime Minister’s Office, and BJP President J.P. Nadda. “How can he question someone’s Indian-ness and just say ‘half his house is Pakistan’?” she stated, calling for a public apology from Yatnal.
This incident is not the first time Tabassum has been targeted over her religion; similar attacks occurred in 2019 involving BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde, who made controversial statements about inter-religious marriages. At that time, Tabassum criticized the use of her identity as a political tool and reaffirmed her and her family’s commitment to national unity.
The recurring theme of using communal and religious lines to attack political figures and their families highlights a troubling trend in Indian politics, where personal attacks often replace substantive political discourse. This latest incident has sparked a broader debate on the role of communal rhetoric in political campaigns and its impact on societal harmony.