Vijayapura: Defending the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for removing 4 % reservation given to Muslims in State, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that by removing reservation for Muslims, BJP Government has only done what is Constitutional.
“The BJP Government has removed the reservation for Muslims as the reservation based on religion is unconstitutional. The Constitution nowhere says that the reservation should be given on religious basis,” he said.
Addressing an election rally in Devarahipparagi Constituency, he accused the Congress Government of giving reservation to Muslims as per its Muslim appeasement policy.
For decades, the Congress has been playing appeasement politics, as part of it, the party had given reservation to Muslims which is against the constitutional aspirations.
“But the BJP will not play any appeasement politics, therefore, it has removed the reservation for Muslims.”
“The Congress has assured to retain the reservation for the Muslims in Karnataka if voted to power, but let me assure you, the BJP will never allow it to happen. The reservation will be given only to oppressed classes and backward communities which is the aspiration of the Constitution,” he said.
Calling the BJP as the double engine Government and the Congress as reserve engine party, he said that while the BJP has banned Popular Front of India (PFI) organisation, the Congress is claiming to revoke the ban if voted to power.
Shah claimed that Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah never allowed any person associated with PFI to be arrested, while the BJP Government not only banned its outfit but also ensured that the people associated with it were sent behind the bars.
Replying to the allegations of the Congress that the BJP is insulting the Lingayat community, Shah shot back, claiming that it was the Congress that played a role in getting the resignation of Former Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa, a prominent Lingayat leader. It is the Congress that insulted and ill-treated Former Chief Ministers, Nijalingappa and Virendra Patil, he claimed; however, Shah did not reveal how the Congress ill-treated late Lingayat Chief Ministers of the Congress.
Without referring to the name of Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar who quit the BJP and joined the Congress, Shah said that Shettar is going to lose the election in Hubballi by at least 25,000 votes.
Appealing to the people to vote for the BJP, he said that voting JD (S) is as good as voting the Congress and voting the Congress means voting PFI.
He also accused the Congress of neglecting the North Karnataka region and claimed that it was the BJP which granted funds for the development of the region.
Shah did not fail to mention the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He claimed that both the historic decisions were taken by the BJP while Congress had no guts to do that.
