NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday slammed the Congress over its promise to restore OBC reservation for Muslims in Karnataka and promising to increase it to 6 per cent, and said that the party should make it clear if it will slash the benefits of SCs, STs, Lingayats or Vokkaligas.
Shah said Siddaramaiah should clarify that if Congress increases the reservation for Muslims from 4 per cent to 6 per cent, then whose reservation it will cut down. He said the Congress leader should make the party’s stand clear before the campaign for Karnataka polls ends on Monday.
“Reservation within reservation was done with a lot of thought…Before the end of campaigning for Karnataka elections, Siddaramaiah must clarify that if Congress increases the reservation for Muslims from 4 per cent to 6 per cent, then whose reservation will they decrease — OBCs, or SCs or STs or Lingayats, or Vokkaligas?” Shah asked.
Shah said the BJP government in Karnataka ended the 4 per cent OBC reservation for Muslims as it is “unconstitutional”. “There is no provision for reservation on the basis of religion in our Constitution. The Congress had given Muslim reservations to consolidate the vote bank under the appeasement policy which we have revoked”, he said.
Congress leader and former Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha K Rahman Khan had told the media that if the party comes to power in Karnataka, Muslim reservation can be increased from 4 per cent to 6 per cent. Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister, said the Congress is committed “to increasing the reservation limit from 50 per cent to 75 per cent and extend reservation to all castes based on their population”.
Condemning the BJP government’s decision to scrap 2B category of reservation for Muslims, former minister Tanveer Sait said if Congress returns to power in the coming elections, it will restore the quota for the community. Sait had alleged that the BJP government considers Muslims as “second-class citizens” and is pursuing vendetta politics against the community.
The Karnataka government decided to scrap the 4 per cent OBC quota for minorities in March this year and add it to the existing quota of two dominant communities — Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas — in the poll-bound state. It also decided to move OBC Muslims to the 10 per cent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.
Shah said the BJP will form the government with an absolute majority and said there is enthusiasm “to form a double-engine government”. “I have visited all parts of Karnataka. The enthusiasm, inclination and support have increased in all areas. There is enthusiasm to form a double engine government here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity is tremendous, which will convert to votes. It is clearly visible that the BJP will form its government with full majority”, he said.
Commenting on the BJP’s list of candidates in which the party has given chances to over 50 new faces in the elections, Shah said the BJP makes changes every time. “We have done it this time too. Giving chances to the youth has been a trend in the BJP and we have given special attention to this.” (ANI)