Karnataka Govt Scrapped 4% Muslim Reservation As It Was Unconstitutional: Amit Shah
Amit Shah also said that reservation within the Scheduled Castes will not be removed saying 'We brought reservation within reservation after a lot of thought.'
Union minister Amit Shah on Monday gave justification for scrapping the 4 per cent Muslim reservation in Karnataka saying it was “unconstitutional” and blamed the previous Congress party who introduced it for appeasement and consolidation of the Muslim vote bank. In an interview with news agency ANI, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said that there was no provision in the constitution for reservation on the basis of religion.
“Our government scrapped 4 per cent reservation because it was unconstitutional. There is no provision of reservation on the basis of religion in our Constitution,” said the Union home minister.
“The decision was late but it was in line with the Constitution,” he said.
#WATCH | There is no provision for reservation on the basis of religion in our Constitution, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an interview with ANI.#KarnatakaElections pic.twitter.com/nGdu9FKkJk
— ANI (@ANI) May 8, 2023
Targeting Congress over the issue, Shah said that the party “brought this reservation for appeasement and consolidating vote bank.”
The 224-member Karnataka Assembly will undergo polls on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13.
He also said that reservation within the Scheduled Castes will not be removed saying “We brought reservation within reservation after a lot of thought.”
He also asked Congress to clarify whose reservation will be cut down if they increase Muslim reservation from 4 to 6 per cent.
“Congress should clarify whose reservation will be cut down if they increase Muslim reservation from 4 to 6 per cent - OBC, SC ST, Lingayat, or Vokkaliga? Siddharamaiah should clarify this before the end of campaigning for the Karnataka election,” he said during the interview.
The Union minister said that he could witness “eagerness for a double-engine government in the state” while touring various regions of Karnataka and said the same will “get converted to votes for the party.”
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