Congress gave quota to Muslims through the back door in Karnataka: Modi | Bhopal News

BHOPAL: Prime Minister Modi on Thursday accused the Congress of including Muslims as a whole in the OBC list in Karnataka “through the back door” and promoting reservation on religious lines in violation of the Constitution.

He said when the Constitution was drafted, it was decided that there would be no reservation based on religion. Congress’s decision to label all Muslims in Karnataka as “backward”, on a par with OBCs, was against the interests of the backward classes, Prime Minister said during a poll meeting in MP Morena.

“Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, was against reservations on religious grounds, but the Congress… stabbed him in the back. Reservation for Muslims was illegal,” Modi said.

Replying to him, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah wrote on This is not something that is being done now. This reservation has existed for 30 years and is based on reports from Backward Classes Commissions.”

Cong wants to apply the K’taka model to the entire country: PM

Neither the BJP government that was previously in power in the state nor the Modi-led Union government that was in power for the past decade have questioned this reservation. Moreover, no one, including BJP, has challenged it in court,” wrote Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on X.
He was responding to Prime Minister Modi’s comment on the Muslim reservation in Karnataka. “Overnight, all Muslims, regardless of their wealth or social status, were turned into OBCs by signing a piece of paper. The OBC’s quota rights were clandestinely and illegally taken away and given to Muslims. This was against the principles of Babasaheb,” Prime Minister said in Morena.
“The Congress wants to implement the Karnataka model across the country. The Congress hatched a conspiracy against the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes. On December 19, 2011, during the Congress-led UPA regime, the Union government brought a note in the Cabinet meeting to reduce the OBC quota from 27% and make way for religion-based quota. Two days later, the government issued an order which was later quashed by the Andhra Pradesh HC. Congress approached the Supreme Court but got no relief,” he said.
“The 2014 Congress manifesto talked about religion-based reservations in jobs and education and is influenced by the Muslim League. They said they will make a law for this if necessary. OBCs, Dalits and tribals woke up. They realized that their later generations would be ruined, so they voted out Congress and turned its tricks into dust. Yet they haven’t learned it and are trying new tricks. If Congress wins, it will take away reservation rights from OBCs and transfer it to its favorite vote bank,” he further said.