BJP Deplores KCR's Belligerence On Muslim Quota

BJP floor leader in the Telangana Assembly G Kishan Reddy today said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was belittling the Union government.

Reddy was reacting to the reported comment of the Chief Miniser that he would provide 12% reservation to Muslims by approaching the Supreme Court if the Centre failed to respond to his request to amend the Constitution to enable the quota.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, the BJP leader said that his party would oppose religion-based reservations.

"If necessary, we will organize dharnas with the support of other political parties at New Delhi," he said.

Criticizing the TRS government, Reddy said the state government was crossing its limits to enable reservations for Muslims, and that the proposed move of the government would render gross injustice to the BC classes in the state.

Official BJP Release

"The TRS government's decision to table a bill for 12% Muslim reservations is a self-goal and the beginning of the end for the TRS government. This decision is illegal, unconstitutional and aimed at deceiving Muslims and OBCs," the BJP itself said in a press release.

"Chief Minister KCR in his desperation to earn the votes of Muslims who comprise 12.68% of the population in Telangana is indulging in misadventurism by not just violating the Constitution which allows for no reservations on religious bases, but also the Supreme Court order to not exceed 50% in reservations. The unthinkable is that CM KCR in the process of adding Muslims to the OBC category through the BC-E category is hugely diluting the already diluted and not fully implemented OBC reservations. It amounts to directly snatching away the reservation benefits to the 51%+ OBC population in this state. BJP believes very strongly that CM KCR's misadventurism will sink the TRS ship in the next elections.

"BC organizations across the state have already denounced this desperate act of the CM. They understand that this decision is aimed purely at getting Muslim votes, and are up in arms against KCR for denying them their constitutional right to reservations by diluting the quota given to them by adding Muslims to the BC categiry through a backdoor categorization. BJP considers this as petty vote bank politics and an insult to the architect of the Indian Constitution and reservations Dr. Ambedkar, as it belittles the real basis for reservations and makes it a mean tool to acquire vote banks for political parties.

"While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the process of providing constitutional backing for the rights of the OBCs through the new BC Commission the Indian government is proposing, KCR is busy snatching from the OBCs their rights through illegal & unconstitutional additions to the classes eligible for their quota for his political expediency. TRS will pay for this misadventure by CM KCR. Neither OBCs nor OCs will vote for the TRS in the next elections. Muslims in Telangana also understand the ploy, as this bill will never see the light of the day. This bill can never stand the scrutiny of courts & judicial review.

"TRS will very soon face the piquant situation of 'na ghar ka, na ghat ka' with this decision. BJP will oppose these cheap politics over reservations by TRS and will teach a lesson to this opportunistic party by exposing it right from the village level in Telangana," the release said.