Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday made it clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) backs reservations for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) adding that the party will always play its role as a protector.
In an address to media persons in Assam’s Guwahati, Shah criticised the Congress party for spreading misinformation in this regard.
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“Congress is trying to mislead the public with falsehoods. I want to make it clear that BJP supports ST, SC and OBC reservations and always try to ensure that it is preserved. This has been publicly stated by PM Narendra Modi as well on several occasions,” the union home minister stated.
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Shah accused Congress of granting reservations to Muslims in unified Andhra Pradesh, which led to decrease in OBS reservations.
He said in Karnataka too, the Congress put all Muslims in OBC category with 4% reservation without any survey leading to reduction on reservation for OBCs.
“BJP is clear that reservations based on religion isn’t constitutional,” he said.
Shah said Congress had twisted BJP’s goal of bagging 400 seats with misinformation and suggestions that a process is underway to alter the constitution and BJP will end reservations once we reach the figure.
“Both these things are baseless and without facts. BJP had been given complete majority by the country’s public twice in 2014 and 2019. We have been in power with a complete majority for the past 10 years. But like Congress, which imposed emergency (in 1975) and throttled democracy, to extend tenure of Lok Sabha or make changes to the Constitution, we have done no such thing,” he said.
Shah also spoke at length on the obscene videos case involving Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna adding that both BJP and their alliance partner JD(S) are in favour of an investigation.
“BJP’s stand is clear that we stand with the ‘Matr Shakti’ of the country. I want to ask Congress, whose government is there? The government is of Congress party. Why have they not taken any action till now? We do not have to take action on this as this is a law-and-order issue of the state, state government has to act on it… We are in favour of the investigation and our partner JD(S) has also announced to take action against it. Today, there is a meeting of their core committee, and steps will be taken…”, Shah said.
The JDS is in alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha election in Karnataka.
Shah continued his verbal tirade on the Congress over his doctored video circulation.
“Their (Congress) frustration reached to such a level that they have spread fake videos of me and several other BJP leaders. Chief ministers, state president and others have also done the work of forwarding this fake video… Today, a prominent leader of the Congress party is facing a criminal offence. This action is indicative of their frustration and disappointment”, Shah said.
“Ever since Rahul Gandhi took charge of the Congress, he has been working to take the level of politics to a new low… I believe that the attempt to get public support by circulating fake videos is condemnable and should never be done by any major party in Indian politics…”, Shah added.
On Sunday, Delhi Police had lodged an FIR (first information report) against unknown persons for circulating a video on social media platforms.
The union minister said that BJP and allies have crossed more than 100 seats in the first two phases of polling and with blessings of the public, they are moving closer to crossing the goal of 400 seats in this election.
“We see big electoral success in Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (in the first two phases). In addition, in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu where voting has taken place, the initial trends show that BJP has got very good response in South India as well,” he said.
