Will not allow Ganesh Chaturthi on Idgah maidan, says defiant MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan

Bengaluru: MLA of Chamarajapet constituency and former minister Zameer Ahmed Khan has declared that holding of Ganesh Chaturti will not be allowed on the Idgah Maidan in Chamarajpet. After visiting the maidan on Tuesday he said though the maidan belongs to the Revenue Department the Wakf Board will challenge it in the court of law and take control of the maidan.

This is the second time that Khan is making a controversial statement that has riled the Hindu community in Chamarajpet. A number of Hindu organisations even wanted the Dargah wall built on the maidan should be razed down and the maidan should be renamed after Charamaja Wadiyar the ruler of erstwhile Mysuru State.

The organisations accused the government of not hoisting the national flag on the maidan fearing backlash from the Muslims. But this time the national flag will be hoisted there, Khan declared. He also stated that "On both Independence Day and Republic Day, the flag will be flown at full mast. November 1 will be the day the Kannada flag is raised".