Karnataka Congress chief calls Umar Khalid 'nationalist', BJP hits back
Synopsis
Karnataka Congress president B. K. Hariprasad calling Umar Khalid a 'nationalist' has lit a fresh political fire, pulling in the BJP, a state minister, and an SP leader — and shifting the debate from Khalid's public image to the six-year delay in bringing his case to trial. The NLSIU documentary screening that triggered it all remains postponed.
Key Takeaways
Karnataka Congress president B.
Hariprasad called jailed activist Umar Khalid a 'nationalist' on Tuesday, 16 September , sparking a BJP-Congress confrontation.
The remark came in response to the ABVP 's opposition to a Khalid documentary screening at NLSIU, Bengaluru , scheduled for 14 September but subsequently postponed.
BJP leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy accused Congress of 'standing alongside those who seek to divide India.' Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questioned why Khalid's trial has not commenced despite him being in jail for several years.
SP leader ST Hasan said Khalid had 'always spoken about national integration and communal harmony' and called the six-year pre-trial detention 'unfortunate.'
A sharp political confrontation has erupted in Karnataka after State Congress president B. K. Hariprasad described jailed student activist Umar Khalid as a 'nationalist', drawing immediate fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The row centres on the proposed — and subsequently postponed — screening of a documentary on Khalid at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru.
What Hariprasad Said
Hariprasad made the remarks on Tuesday in response to the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)'s opposition to the documentary screening. 'Umar Khalid is a nationalist. The ABVP has no right to speak about Khalid,' the Congress leader said. The ABVP, a student wing affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), had lobbied against the event, which was organised by the Law and Society Committee of NLSIU and scheduled for 14 September before being postponed.
BJP's Sharp Rebuttal
Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, wasted no time in responding. 'We must reflect on the fact that Congress stands alongside those who seek to divide India and break it into pieces, and BK Hariprasad stands with them as well. That is why he calls him a nationalist,' Narayanaswamy said. The BJP has consistently characterised Khalid as anti-national, pointing to the sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) charges under which he has been held.
Congress and SP Counter: Trial Delay in Focus
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge broadened the debate by raising questions about the pace of the legal proceedings. 'Who is telling that Umar Khalid is anti-national? Has the court told that? BJP is telling he is an anti-national… Why are they not bringing up the trial? It's been so many years that he has been in jail, and there are apparently some charge sheets on him. Why is the trial not going on? Why are they so afraid to conduct the trial?' Kharge said.
Samajwadi Party (SP) leader ST Hasan also defended Khalid, arguing that his public statements had consistently advocated for national integration. 'As far as we understand, Umar Khalid has always spoken about national integration. He has always talked about communal harmony and freedom from oppression… It is also unfortunate that he has been in jail for six years, and his trial has not even begun yet. Who is stopping it?' Hasan said.
The Broader Context
Khalid, a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader, has been in custody since September 2020, facing charges related to the 2020 Delhi riots. His case has become a recurring flashpoint between the ruling dispensation and the opposition, with critics arguing that the prolonged pre-trial detention raises due-process concerns. Notably, this is not the first time a Congress leader's public characterisation of Khalid has sparked a state-level row — similar exchanges have played out in Telangana and Rajasthan in recent years.
The NLSIU documentary row has given the dispute fresh momentum, drawing in student bodies, political parties across the spectrum, and civil society voices. Whether the postponed screening is rescheduled remains to be seen, but the political fallout is already well under way.
Point of View
At its core, a proxy war over a question Indian courts have not yet settled — and therein lies the real story. Khalid has spent six years in custody without a completed trial, a fact that Congress and the SP are now deploying as a political counter-attack. The BJP's instinct to keep the 'anti-national' framing alive is understandable electorally, but it sits awkwardly alongside the absence of a conviction. What mainstream coverage underplays is that the NLSIU event — a university committee screening a documentary — was the trigger, raising questions about campus autonomy that go well beyond this particular controversy. The longer the trial delay persists, the more potent the opposition's procedural argument becomes, regardless of the underlying charges.
NationPress
16 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did B. K. Hariprasad call Umar Khalid a nationalist?
Karnataka Congress president B. K. Hariprasad made the remark on Tuesday in defence of Umar Khalid after the ABVP opposed the screening of a documentary on the activist at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bengaluru. Hariprasad said the ABVP had 'no right to speak about Khalid.'
Who is Umar Khalid and why is he in jail?
Umar Khalid is a former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader who has been in custody since September 2020, facing charges — including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act — related to the 2020 Delhi riots. He has not yet faced trial despite being held for approximately six years.
What was the NLSIU documentary screening controversy?
The Law and Society Committee of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) had organised a screening of a documentary on Umar Khalid on 14 September. The ABVP, the RSS-affiliated student organisation, opposed the event, and it was subsequently postponed. Hariprasad's defence of Khalid in that context triggered the wider political row.
How did the BJP respond to Hariprasad's remark?
BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, said Congress 'stands alongside those who seek to divide India.' He argued that Hariprasad's remark revealed the Congress's political alignment, which the BJP characterises as supporting anti-national forces.
What argument did Congress and SP make about the trial delay?
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge and SP leader ST Hasan both raised concern over the fact that Khalid has spent approximately six years in jail without his trial commencing. Kharge challenged the BJP to explain why the trial had not progressed, questioning whether the delay reflected a reluctance to test the charges in court.
