Congress party has raised questions over the authenticity of the video purportedly showing Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri praising the response of Muskan Khan, the girl student from Mandya, who was targeted during the hijab row.
Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana urged the State Government to check the authenticity of the video and the audio.
He said the US Government had long back claimed that the Al-Qaeda leader was dead. A fake audio had been added to an old video of the banned outfit’s leader to mislead the public, Mr. Lakshmana claimed while accusing the leaders of BJP and RSS of being behind the “fake video”.
He urged Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to have the video checked for authenticity by sending it to the forensic laboratory.
He also criticised the BJP Government for provoking fringe groups to take up a campaign against Muslims in the State by taking up one issue after another, the latest being the opposition to Muslims sculpting idols of Hindu deities.
In view of the unrest in the State, provoked by the BJP Government’s efforts to polarise the society on communal lines, investors may choose to stay clear of Karnataka, he warned.
After an invitation from Telangana Government to IT companies in Bengaluru following the concern expressed by Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw over isolation of Muslims, Tamil Nadu Government has also reportedly responded positively to interest expressed by companies in Bengaluru to diversify to Chennai, he said.
Mr. Lakshmana feared that the economic crisis that has arisen in Sri Lanka may soon hit Karnataka with no voices opposing the rise in fuel prices and corruption to the extent of 40 per cent in government projects as alleged by the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association.
