The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday alleged that Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s latest remarks on Muslim quota have brought to light the Congress' "hidden agenda" of changing the Constitution to provide reservation to the minority community for their votes.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi should tell the country that they will not change the Constitution, former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.
This came after Shivakumar at a media event on Sunday purportedly suggested that a "good day" may come when the Constitution may be changed to accommodate quota for Muslims. However, the Congress leader on Monday claimed that he had been misquoted and asserted that he "never said that we will change the Constitution".
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As a row erupted over his purported remarks with the BJP raising the issue in Parliament, the Karnataka deputy chief minister clarified in a post on X that he has never stated that the Constitution will be amended in any manner to give religion-based reservation.
He accused the BJP's leaders and ministers, both in Karnataka and at the Centre, of resorting to "brazen and blatant" lies to malign the Congress and him "by falsely attributing statements" to him.
At the press conference, Ravi Shankar Prasad read out the remarks made by Shivakumar and said, “Truth has the very uncanny habit of appearing and reappearing.”
"It’s Congress' hidden agenda that it will change the Constitution for votes," he alleged, terming Shivakumar’s remarks as “the beginning”.
“Rahul Gandhi, will you speak up? Will you make a comment on the comments made by your Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar? Will you clarify that the Congress will not change the Constitution for appeasement (of Muslims),” Prasad asked.
“Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Sonia Gandhi should tell the country that they will not change the Constitution when religion-based reservation is not permissible under it ,” he added.
The senior BJP leader also slammed the Congress over the Karnataka government’s recent move to provide four per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts and the announcement of a host of budgetary proposals for the welfare of the minority community in the state. He asked how far the party will go to pursue its “Muslim vote bank politics”.
Shivakumar’s remarks and the Karnataka government’s “illegal and unconstitutional” move to provide 4 per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts in the state is the Congress’ effort to take away the rights of the members of the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and the Other Backward Classes (OBC), the BJP leader alleged.
“The BJP vehemently condemns it,” he said.
Prasad also disapproved of discussions on the issue of giving the Dalit status to a section of Muslims and Christians, saying any such move would take away the rights of Hindus who come under the Scheduled Caste category.
“What is 'Dalit Muslims', 'Dalit Christians'? It is repeatedly discussed in Karnataka,” he said.
The Constitution (Scheduled Caste) Order 1950 provides that it shall be applicable to Hindus only, not Muslims, he said.
Sikhs and Buddhists were added to the list later as the two communities come under a larger “Hindu framework under the Constitution”, he added.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru on March 24, Mr Shivakumar reiterated that he seen sensible, senior politician than Nadda and has basic common sense.
"I have not said that there will be none... I had said that there will be so many changes after various judgements. I never said or meant that we are going to change the Constitution. Whatever they are quoting is wrong. They are misquoting it. We are a national party, we know what Constitution is. I will move a privilege motion on this. I will fight a case; they are misquoting me.”
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