Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday came down heavily on the Congress, alleging that it used ‘mazhab’ to come to power.
Singh also slammed the party for having introduced four percent reservation, in its earlier term, on religious lines in Karnataka, saying it had been done only to appease Muslims.
“If there is any political party in the history of India that took the support of ‘dharma’, or rather, ‘mazhab,” to come to power, then it is Congress,” Singh said, addressing a public meeting at Kagwad in Belagavi district.
The Congress does the “politics of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians”, Singh said. “Politics of this sort should never be done.” Only to appease Muslims, the four percent reservation was given on religious lines, he alleged.
“We will welcome it if an economically weaker Muslim or a Christian gets reservation benefits, but the Constitution of India does not permit religion-based reservation,” the Defence Minister said.
Just days before the Model Code of Conduct came into force, the BJP government in Karnataka scrapped a four percent reservation for Muslims under the 2B category of the Other Backward Castes.
After making 2B redundant, the Karnataka government split the four percent reservation, giving two percent each to the two dominant communities of the state, Vokkaligas in 2C and Lingayats in 2D.
Muslims were then placed in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category.
Various Muslim bodies have approached the Supreme Court, which has directed the Karnataka government not to implement its decision until it hears the matter on May 9.
Singh said there was “nothing hidden” about the character of the BJP, as the entire world knows about it. “The BJP never believes in discrimination on the lines of caste, creed, or religion. The BJP believes in ‘Insaaf aur Insaaniyat’ (justice and humanity),” he claimed.
