Patna: NDA partner Chirag Paswan on Tuesday charged the Congress government in Karnataka with having “snatched away” reservations meant for OBCs and diverting the benefits to “a particular religious community”.
Virtually echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge, Paswan, who heads Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) also alleged that the Congress-led opposition was “therefore falsely accusing us (NDA)” of intending to do away with reservations by changing the Constitution.
“In the Constitution, Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar had clearly stated that religion cannot be the basis for extending reservations. Yet, that is precisely what the Congress has done in Karnataka where it is in power. It has snatched away the rights of the OBCs,” Paswan told reporters.
The young leader, who is the son of late Ram Vilas Paswan and is seen as a prominent Dalit face in the BJP-led coalition, also said, “The action of the Congress in Karnataka is in line with its politics of appeasement, which was betrayed in an infamous speech of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had proclaimed that people belonging to one particular religious community had the first claim on the country’s resources.”
“It is the Congress and its allies which are guilty of assaulting the Constitution. And to divert public attention from their deeds they falsely accuse the NDA of wanting to change Constitution and scrap reservations,” alleged Paswan.
Incidentally, Paswan’s late father was a cabinet minister in the UPA 1 government and remained a Congress ally until siding with the NDA ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader and former Union Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asserted “The charge against us that we are against reservations is false and smacks of desperation on the part of the opposition. Reservations will be there, for ever.”
He, however, added “We believe that even the OBCs among Muslims should get reservation benefits. But what the Congress has done in Karnataka is that all Muslims have been categorized as OBCs. Who will be adversely affected by this? Obviously the Hindu OBCs.”
He pointed out “Baba Saheb Ambedkar had clearly said that reservation facilities were meant for the depressed classes among the Hindus since they were facing discrimination. But the Congress has come out with a sinister model which the adjoining Telangana, ruled by the same party, also wishes to replicate.
Prasad also alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s promise of caste survey and economic survey betrayed “his Maoist leanings” and also asked his Bihar ally RJD to make clear its stand on “inheritance tax”, which has been advocated by Sam Pitroda, known to be close to Gandhi.
“What does Rahul Gandhi want to accomplish? Startups are booming in the country where we have seen a burgeoning of unicorns. Does he want to deprive the young entrepreneurs of their hard-earned wealth,” asked Prasad.
The BJP leader also condemned the use of foul language against the Prime Minister by former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahni, who spoke to journalists about the Modi government’s stance on reservations in the presence of RJD de facto leader Tejashwi Yadav.
“We condemn the remarks but would not like to pay back in the same coin as that is not our standard,” said Prasad who added “Let them wait till June 4. They will have a reality check once election results are out.”
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