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A man known for having served as an MLA and minister in 1989 and later elected as an MLC twice, Ahmed now finds himself in the midst of a controversy as he leads the proposal by Muslim legislators seeking a 4 per cent reservation for…Read More
Coming from a business community background, Ahmed has served as a legislator once in 1989 when he won the Binnypet assembly seat, and again from Kolar in 2013. (Facebook)
If you see Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah addressing the media on important issues, one face that might remain in the shadows yet be prominent enough is that of Naseer Ahmed, the political secretary to the CM.
A man known for working closely with the Muslim community, having served as an MLA and minister in 1989 and later elected as an MLC twice — yet maintaining a rather low profile — Ahmed now finds himself in the midst of a controversy as he leads the proposal by Muslim legislators seeking a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in public works contracts.
Ahmed, often seen as a “non-controversial politician”, has preferred to work behind the scenes, allowing party leaders to front ideas that would benefit the community.
Having worked with several chief ministers, from Devaraj Urs and S Bangarappa to now Siddaramaiah, Ahmed is a man who prefers to work from the trenches, say those close to him.
“He has never been involved in any scandal, is a sincere politician, and whatever position he has held, he has used it for the community. He has maintained a clean image, and you will not find a controversy attached to his name. He was also close to senior Congress leader the late Aziz Sait,” said a Muslim leader who worked closely with him.
Ahmed, currently a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), is said to have pushed for the 4 per cent reservation as he believes that since there are quotas for SC and ST communities in awarding contracts, a similar provision for Muslims would benefit the community, explained another Congress Muslim leader.
The letter from Ahmed was based on reports that a group of MLAs submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, requesting a quota for Muslim contractors in civil works contracts up to Rs 1 crore.
After Siddaramaiah mentioned that while there was a demand for Muslim reservation, no decision had been taken by the government, Ahmed said he was yet to hear back from the CMO.
Currently, the Muslim community is provided 4 per cent reservation under the 2B backward class category in education and government jobs in the state.
When News18 reached out to him, Ahmed declined to comment on the issue.
Coming from a business community background, Ahmed has served as a legislator once in 1989 when he won the Binnypet assembly seat, and again from Kolar in 2013. He was known to have worked his way up and was particularly close to former CM S Bangarappa where he served as minister of state.
A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce from the Government First Grade College in Kolar Gold Fields, Bangalore University in 1980, he is also a known businessman with companies linked to the garment industry.
A close friend of Ahmed spoke about how he set up his business venture, Scotts Group of Companies, inspired by Captain Gopinath and Air Deccan.
“He was inspired by Captain Gopinath’s idea to provide affordable travel for all Indians, by Indians, and for Indians. He wanted to start his venture in a similar way. He set up his business along this model and was successful until he ran into financial troubles,” said the associate.
The Congress fielded Ahmed for the MLC position in 2021 and nominated him as the party’s candidate for the Legislative Council Chairman election. The election came about after the resignation of Congress’s K Prathapachandra Shetty as chairman, to pre-empt a no-confidence motion against him, backed by the ruling BJP, with JD(S) extending support.
The BJP backed senior JD(S) MLC Basavaraj Horatti for the chairman post as part of an agreement between the BJP and JDS, and Horatti won the election.
In 2013, Ahmed agreed to contest in Kolar after leaders asked him to run, expecting it would secure a Congress victory in the constituency. He contested against Independent candidate Varthur Prakash but lost.
Political analyst Naheed Ataulla says Ahmed has always been non-controversial. She said while he may have led the move on behalf of Muslim legislators as the political secretary, she questions the need for reservation in government projects.
“It should be based on merit. Why should there be categorisation for a particular community? SC and ST communities have their share, but why can’t Muslims go by merit, whether they’re Muslim contractors or SC contractors?” she said.
On Ahmed as a politician, she said: “He’s done his bit when a crisis requires his attention, like a quiet troubleshooter, but there’s nothing particularly notable that stands out.”
