PM Modi's salvos likely part of bigger attack on Congress manifesto's 'equity' section
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus Tuesday on Congress’s efforts to introduce quota for Muslims marks a significant escalation of BJP’s “appeasement” charge against the opposition party.
PM fired the “Muslim quota” salvo while addressing a rally at Tonk-Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan – his last engagement in the state for Lok Sabha polls – and said Congress has for long made separate efforts to implement Muslim quota despite the prohibition laid down on “Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution” on religion-based reservations.
The attack came even as Congress was still angrily protesting against PM’s remark at Banswara, also in Rajasthan, on Sunday that Congress’s pitch for “redistibution of assets” was part of a plan to take away assets from people and distribute among people who, going by his predecessor Manmohan Singh’s 2006 speech at the National Development Council, can only be Muslims.
While Election Commission has started an inquiry into Congress’s complaint that that Banswara speech was communal and, therefore, violative of the ‘model code of conduct’, PM Modi repeated the charge and rebutted Congress’s protest about Singh’s statement having been distorted, saying, “I was present at the meeting of the NDC.”
Going by indications, the PM’s consecutive volleys could be part of a larger offensive against the “equity” section of the Congress manifesto for allegedly seeking to create an opening for Muslims not just in jobs and education, but also in healthcare, public contracts, skill development, even sports – something which might push the electoral contest from now on to the “secular-communal” terrain.
Highlighting extracts from the “equity” section of the Congress manifesto, BJP said that it implied Muslim reservation. “Point 3 of the Congress manifesto says ‘encourage’ minorities to take full advantage of opportunities but Point 6 says ‘ensure’ minorities receive ‘fair share’ on exactly the same issues as mentioned in Point 3,” a senior BJP leader said and added, “if Congress manifesto had limited itself to just ‘encourage’, then it would have been OK. But how will Congress ensure? Such language is employed when the intent is to back the promise with legislative action.”
Congress manifesto in “equity” section says that it will do socio-economic census (different from caste census) and then basis this it will strengthen affirmative action (Point 1). Same section also says in Point 2 that the 50% limit on reservations will be raised. “Read together, only one conclusion follows. Congress plans to install Muslim reservation – not just in education and jobs but also in healthcare, public contracts, skill development, cultural activities and even sports?” the BJP leader said.
Congress in its manifesto in 2009 Lok Sabha polls had promised nationwide reservation for Muslims in jobs and education. The idea was to create a Muslim sub-quota within the 27% OBC quota. Although it could not be implemented due to legal hurdles but Congress in its manifesto in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls again mentioned that the UPA govt had taken steps to address the condition of backward Muslims by aiming to provide them reservation in educational institutions and govt jobs and further added, “We will pursue this matter closely in court to ensure that the policy is implemented through proper legislation”.
The saffron party made a recall that Congress launched its pilot project to introduce Muslim quota in Andhra Pradesh after coming to power in 2004 when it made four attempts between 2004-10 to implement Muslim reservation. “Each time the Andhra HC/SC quashed the pernicious attempts of Congress. Unashamed, the UPA then tried the Muslim reservation at ventral level in 2011. Even this attempt was stalled by Andhra HC in2012 and SC agreed with HC,” a BJP leader said.
In Karnataka, Congress promised to reinstate Muslim reservation that the BJP govt had scrapped. And finally in its 2024 manifesto, Congress talks of expanding affirmative action after socio-economic survey – breach 50% limit set by courts and “ensure” Muslims receive their “fair share” in jobs, education and even sports.
“In UPA-1, Ranganath Mishra Commission recommended 10% reservation for Muslims, which Congress gave in Andhra despite being rejected by the high court. Congress removed all reservation of SC/ST OBC from AMU and Jamia Millia Islamia to provide for Muslims,” said BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi.
He said in Kashmir, Congress never allowed SC/ST and OBCs to have reservation in representation on the pretext that it is a Muslim majority state and the Muslim Waqf Board by law became the biggest land owner after the Govt of India, due to successive Congress-led govts.
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