'Pakistan Zindabad' row: Prime suspect's closeness to Rahul Gandhi explains delay in action, alleges BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday alleged Mohammad Iltaz, prime accused in Vidhana Soudha Pro-Pakistan Sloganeering case is Wayanad MP and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi 's close aide.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), he wrote: "Mohammad Iltaz, prime accused in Vidhana Soudha Pro-Pakistan Sloganeering case is Wayanad MP & Former Congress President @RahulGandhi 's close aide. This is probably why CM @siddaramaiah  took days together to move ahead in the case. Pathetic state of law & order in Karnataka."

Take a look at Tejasvi Surya's Instagram story: 

Soon after the Rajya Sabha election results were made public, a video went viral, purporting that some Congress supporters had yelled "Pakistan Zindabad" in the Vidhana Soudha corridors in celebration of their party's nominee, Syed Naseer Hussain, winning.

However, several Congress officials refuted the claims, claiming that fans were yelling "Naseer saab zindabad" and applauding Syed Naseer Hussain. Demanding the accused's arrest, BJP MLAs held a protest both inside and outside the Vidhana Soudha.

The accused had been detained for questioning where they denied raising any pro-Pakistan slogans. However, the police continued to probe and waited for the FSL report on the video clip submitted to ascertain the facts of the incident.

• Vidhana Soudha
• Tejasvi Surya
• Bengaluru
• Karnataka