'Imran Pratapgarhi wrote poetry for Atiq Ahmad...' BJP slams Congress Karnataka Election 2023 star campaigner

Congress has landed in controversy over its Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 star campaigner Imran Pratapgarhi's alleged links with slain gangster Atiq Ahmed. Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on Thursday targeted Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also put out a video on social media showing Atiq Ahmed meeting Pratapgarhi during a feast organised at the latter's house in 2015.

"Imran Pratapgarhi used to say that Atiq is my brother. Such a person has been announced by the Congress party as a star campaigner for the assembly elections. This shows that Congress is supporting criminals and traitors," Shobha Karandlaje told media persons.

The BJP further claimed, "Imran had once said in a speech that Muslims are not bowers, but beheaders. Imran posted his speeches on social media. He is related to Atiq Ahmed. He used to call every day. He also writes poetry on Atiq. Congress has kept such a leader in its list of star campaigners. The entire Congress is in the hands of criminals. The hand of Congress is with the traitors. Congress wants a person like Imran to travel across the country."

The Congress had on Wednesday released the list of star campaigners for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections on May 10. Former party presidents Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former chief minister Jagadish Shettar, party MP Shashi Tharoor are among the ones who have been named as star campaigners. 

The list has a total of 40 names including Karnataka party chief DK Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah, AICC in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala, KC Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh counterparts Bhupesh Baghel and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, D K Suresh, G C Chandrashekhar, Syed Naseer Hussain, Zameer Ahmed Khan, H M Revanna, Umashree, Revanth Reddy, Ramesh Chennithala, Srinivas B V, Raj Babbar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Divya Spandana, Imran Pratapgarhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, Rupa Shashidhar and Sadhukokila are also on the list.