Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday vehemently refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations regarding the BJP’s stance on reservations. Accusing Gandhi of spreading misinformation, Shah, while speaking at a poll rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj, assured that reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) would remain intact under BJP rule.
In his speech, Shah directly addressed Gandhi’s claims, saying, “Rahul Baba is spreading lies in the name of backward classes. He says that if BJP wins 400 seats, BJP will remove reservations in the country. He doesn't understand, that we had two full terms with an absolute majority to remove reservation, but Narendra Modi is a supporter of reservation. Today I will give you a Modi Guarantee that the SC, ST, and OBC reservation will neither be removed by the BJP nor will we let anyone else do that.”
Speaking to ANI, earlier this morning, Shah reiterated the BJP’s stance on reservations. He said that BJP’s government was in majority, and if the saffron party had any intentions to do so it had ample opportunity to alter reservation policies during its previous ten-year tenure.
“Rahul Gandhi is trying to mislead people by spreading canards against us. The BJP has been at the helm of this country for 10 years now and was elected with absolute majority twice. If we had, indeed, been working with the intention or motivation to put an end to reservations in the country, it would have happened by now,” Shah told ANI.
“These are nothing but lies. Narendra Modi-ji has already assured the Dalits, backward classes, and our tribal brothers and sisters across the country that as long as the BJP is in power, no one can dare take back reservations," he added.
Shah further criticised the Congress for its handling of reservation policies in states like Karnataka, and Telangana, accusing the party of diverting quotas allocated for SCs, STs, and OBCs towards Muslims.
“After coming to power in Karnataka, the Congress announced a 4 percent reservation for Muslims. Don't the people know from whose quota they set aside 4 per cent reservation for the minority community? In a similar ploy after coming to power in Telangana, they announced a 5 per cent reservation for Muslims. The Congress has always been against reservation for backward sections and never demonstrated any genuine intent to deliver justice to the tribal communities,” Shah said.
“Even at the Jamia Millia Islamia and the Aligarh Muslim University today, students from SCs, STs and OBCs are being denied the benefits of reservation. It was PM Modi who worked to provide justice to our tribal brothers and sisters by putting Draupadi Murmu in the country's highest office (President),” he added.
Rahul Gandhi on Friday had said that the Prime Minister wants to alter the Constitution and take away the reservations and rights of the Backward communities, Adivasis, and Dalits.