NEW DELHI: The treasury and opposition benches clashed in both Houses of Parliament on Monday over Karnataka deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s purported statement suggesting reservation for Muslims by changing the Constitution. BJP members reacted vociferously to what they called Congress’s conspiracy to change the Constitution to give religion-based quota to appease the minority community.
Congress and Shivakumar denied that he had made such a statement and said govt functionaries were peddling lies to stall Parliament, but BJP’s protests continued.
Raising the issue in Lok Sabha, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said, “A senior member of Congress, who is sitting on a constitutional position, has said that Muslims will be given reservation by changing the Constitution.” Amid uproar from opposition benches, the speaker adjourned the House for the second time since it assembled in the morning, till 2 pm.
Rijiju said there was no place for reservation in the Constitution based on religion, and cited the demands made by the Muslim League in 1947 when Sardar Patel and the entire House had rejected religion-based quota. The minister demanded removal of the Congress member. .
Ruckus continued in Rajya Sabha post-lunch as leader of the House J P Nadda and leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge engaged in a verbal duel over the issue.
Nadda accused Congress of trying to create reservation for Muslims through the back door by cutting into the OBC quota, an allegation denied by Kharge, who said Shivakumar had never made any such statement.
In a way, it was a re-run of the fight between the two sides during the campaign for 2024 LS polls where PM Modi had alleged that Congress was planning to smuggle in a Muslim quota, while Congress had accused of him of seeking a 400-plus tally so that the Constitution could be amended to get rid of caste quotas.
The post-lunch sitting of RS, which followed two adjournments in the first half, started with Congress MPs raising a din and accusing the govt of misleading the House and twisting Shivakumar’s words.
An incensed Nadda got up to protest Karnataka govt’s decision to give Muslims 4% reservation in public contracts, reminding the opposition benches that both B R Ambedkar and Sardar Patel had spoken against extending reservation on the basis of religion.
“Earlier, Telangana assembly approved quota for Muslims by depriving SCs/STs/OBCs of their entitlement. They tried to create a back door entry for Muslims into the OBC quota. History is witness. And now they are introducing a quota for Muslims even in public contracts,” Nadda said.
The row was triggered by Shivakumar’s purported reply at a media event where he was asked whether the Constitution allowed reservation based on religion. In response, Shivakumar purportedly said, “Let’s wait and see what the court decides. We have started something. I know everyone will go to court… A good day will come. Many changes are happening. The Constitution will change. There have been judgements that have altered the Constitution as well.”
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