BJP slams Karnataka’s 4% Muslim reservation for public tenders

On Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the Karnataka government’s choice to grant a 4% reservation in public tenders for Muslim contractors under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act.

BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged that the reservation was introduced with the “full patronage and approval” of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “(chief minister) Siddaramaiah neither has the courage nor the political capital to announce the reservation on his own. There is competitive vote-bank politics at play,” he said at a press conference in Delhi.

Prasad further warned that the Congress’ approach to reservations was setting “new precedents” that could have broader implications. “What is the limit to this appeasement politics? Will there be separate queues for Muslims for reservations in movies and train tickets?” he asked.

Referring to recent electoral losses faced by the Congress, Prasad said, “Despite several defeats, they never reassess their approach.” He also cited former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remark that Muslims have the “first right” over the nation’s resources and claimed that Rahul Gandhi has “even surpassed that.” “He said Congress is a party of Muslims. He went to America and said the Muslim League is a secular party. (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah is gone but left-back those who are doing Jinnah’s politics,” Prasad said,

The Karnataka cabinet has decided to allocate 4% of public works contracts to Muslim contractors within the Category-II B classification. On March 7, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah validated this during the state budget presentation. The decision, finalized during a cabinet meeting led by the chief minister at Vidhan Soudha, is anticipated to be formalized via an amendment to the KTPP Act.

The BJP leader also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi over his recent visit to Vietnam. “Rahul Gandhi visits Vietnam during the New Year and also during Holi. He is the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. As an MP, he hasn’t dedicated this much time to his Rae Bareli constituency. He needs to explain his extraordinary fondness for Vietnam,” Prasad said.