Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that reservation based on religion is unconstitutional, emphasizing that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposes any form of reservation for Muslims.
“Reservation based on religion is unconstitutional. Baba Saheb Ambedkar strongly opposed it but Congress and the parties of the INDI alliance are competing to provide Muslim reservations,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath intensified his criticism of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), expressing gratitude to the Calcutta High Court for nullifying all OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010.
“In West Bengal, the TMC has unjustly exploited the reservation rights of OBCs for the past 14 years by including 118 Muslim castes in the OBC category in 2010. We extend our appreciation to the Calcutta High Court for strongly rebuking this unconstitutional action by the TMC,” he remarked.
“Similarly, in Bihar, Lalu ji has advocated for reservations for Muslims. However, this raises questions about where these reservations would come from, as they seek to allocate them to Muslims by encroaching on the reservations of OBCs, SCs, and STs,” CM Yogi added.
He reiterated that the BJP opposes any form of Muslim reservation in order to safeguard the reservations of SCs, STs, and OBCs, highlighting that such reservations are also unconstitutional. He warned that implementing such divisive practices would jeopardize the nation’s unity.
The Calcutta High Court’s ruling, issued on May 22, directs the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission to compile a new list of OBCs in accordance with the 1993 Act. Individuals included in the OBC list prior to 2010 will retain their status, while post-2010 nominations will be revoked.
This decision is expected to invalidate approximately five lakh OBC certificates. However, individuals who have secured jobs under the OBC quota or are in the process of doing so will not be affected, as they cannot be excluded from the quota.
Following the Calcutta High Court’s annulment of OBC certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that she would not accept the verdict, asserting that “OBC reservation continues and will always continue.”