‘Kalaburagi DC seems to be from Pakistan’: BJP’s Ravi Kumar under fire for controversial remark

KALABURAGI: A political storm has erupted in Kalaburagi district following a controversial remark made by BJP MLC and Chief Whip of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, N Ravikumar, against District Deputy Commissioner Fauzia Tarannum, amid ongoing tensions related to the recent Chittapur incident.

Addressing a protest rally organised under the BJP’s ‘Kalaburagi Chalo’ campaign on May 24, Ravikumar alleged that the district administration was functioning under the influence of the ruling Congress government. In a statement that has since sparked widespread condemnation, he questioned the independence of the DC and made a derogatory reference, suggesting that she might have “come from Pakistan.”

Kalaburagi Deputy Commissionner Fouzia Tarannum.

“The Kalaburagi DC office has also lost its independence. The DC madam is also listening to what they (Congress) say. I don’t know whether the DC has come from Pakistan or is an IAS officer here”, Ravikumar said, triggering backlash from progressive groups and civil society organisations, who have demanded action against him for the “insulting and communal” remarks.

Fauzia Tarannum is the Deputy Commissioner of Kalaburagi. Though not directly involved in the political developments, her role as the administrative head of the district has come under the political spotlight amid heightened tensions.

#Watch | Kalaburagi, Karnataka: On Priyank Kharge, BJP leader CT Ravi says, “Dictatorship will not work in a democracy. The ‘Nizamshahi’ is over… Do they want to keep ‘Nizamshahi’ alive in Kalaburagi? Hooliganism will not work in a democracy. Democracy has given the answer to… pic.twitter.com/oKH9SwYMdJ

— ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2025

The protest led by the BJP was held to demand the removal of Minister Priyank Kharge from the state Cabinet. The demand stems from a May 21 incident in Chittapur — Priyank Kharge’s Assembly constituency — where Congress workers allegedly laid siege to a guest house where Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanswamy, was staying.

In response to the protest and Ravikumar’s remarks, minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Sunday accused BJP leaders of unnecessarily provoking tensions and attempting to politicise the administration. “This is a deliberate attempt to provoke and communalise the atmosphere. Such statements against an officer performing her duties are unacceptable”, Patil said.

The incident has further deepened political fault lines in Kalaburagi, with both administrative officials and political leaders now drawn into a broader battle between the BJP and the ruling Congress over governance, accountability, and decorum in public discourse. (ANI)