Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan has sought exemption from hoisting the National Flag at the Independence Day celebrations in Vijayanagara district on August 15, citing his electoral and party-organisational responsibilities.
According to a letter dated August 11, 2026, addressed to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Zameer Ahmed said that while he had been assigned the responsibility of hoisting the Tricolour at the district’s 80th Independence Day celebrations, he would be unable to attend.
He also requested that he not be assigned the responsibility of being a district in-charge minister for any district, citing the forthcoming elections to local bodies, including the Greater Bengaluru Authority, Assembly by-elections and party organisational work.
NO TIME FOR TRI-COLOUR ON I-DAY!
POLLS AND VOTES ARE ABOVE THE HONOR OF FLYING THE TIRANGA ON I-DAY?
DON'T HAVE TIME': Karnataka minister Zameer Ahmed writes to CM Shivakumar, seeking exemption from hoisting the Tricolour at Vijayanagar during Independence Day on August 15.… pic.twitter.com/2A9uFOc9HP
— Rahul Shivshankar (@RShivshankar) August 14, 2026
A sitting minister of the Karnataka government says he does not have the time to attend an Independence Day ceremony and hoist the National Flag because he needs to devote his time to elections and party organisation.
The Tricolour represents the Republic of India. It is not the flag of a political party, nor is Independence Day a Congress, BJP, or any other party’s programme. The national flag stands above partisan politics, electoral calculations and organisational priorities.
Yet, according to the letter, electoral and party responsibilities have been placed ahead of an official Independence Day responsibility.
Zameer Ahmed’s own letter reportedly states that he has been given the responsibility of hoisting the flag for the 80th Independence Day celebrations in Vijayanagara. He then cites the workload arising from local-body elections, Assembly by-elections and party organisation as reasons for seeking exemption.
Shameful. Sinister. And deeply disrespectful to the nation.
A sitting Karnataka minister, Zameer Ahmed, is seeking exemption from hoisting the National Flag on Independence Day because he claims he has no time, he is busy with elections and “party organisational work.”
Think… pic.twitter.com/KsI8jqLw2A
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 14, 2026
If a minister cannot spare time for the country’s Independence Day ceremony because of political work, what does that say about the hierarchy of responsibilities within the government?
Zameer Ahmed also seeks to step away from district in charge responsibility
The letter goes beyond the Independence Day ceremony.
Zameer Ahmed also reportedly informed the Chief Minister that, given the anticipated political workload, he did not want to be assigned the responsibility of district in-charge minister for any district in the State.
He cited the elections of several local bodies, including the Greater Bengaluru Authority, Assembly by-elections and party organisational work as reasons.
Zameer Ahmed has previously held district-in-charge responsibilities, including Vijayanagara. The Karnataka government had appointed him district in-charge minister for Vijayanagara in 2023.
His involvement in election-related organisational activity is also not new. In March 2026, he was among Congress leaders named to monitoring committees for Assembly by-election preparations in Karnataka.
Elections can wait, the Nation cannot
Elections will come and go. Political campaigns will begin and end. Party meetings will be held and concluded. Organisational responsibilities will change hands.
But Independence Day is a national occasion.
August 15 is the day India commemorates its independence from British colonial rule and honours the sacrifices of generations who fought for the country’s freedom. The unfurling of the Tricolour is not merely another item on a ministerial calendar.
For a constitutional office-holder, being entrusted with the responsibility of hoisting the National Flag at an official Independence Day ceremony should be regarded as an honour.
That responsibility should transcend political convenience. In other words, political work is being presented as the reason for stepping away from a national ceremonial responsibility.
