Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that “reservation for the Muslim community is against the Constitution”. Addressing a rally at Nanded in Maharashtra as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) celebrations on the completion of nine years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government at the Centre, Mr. Shah said, “The BJP believes that there should not be any reservation for Muslims as it is against the Constitution. There cannot be reservation based on religion.”
Mr. Shah’s statement assumes significance amid rising number of communal clashes in Maharashtra and the recent scrapping of the quota for Muslims in neighbouring Karnataka by the then BJP government ahead of the Assembly elections in that State.
Attacking former ally and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, the senior BJP leader said, “Uddhav Thackeray should tell the people of Nanded if there should be a reservation for Muslims or not.” He also questioned the former Chief Minister’s stand on triple talaq and Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. “Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance partner Congress wants to remove Veer Savarkar’s name from history. Do you [Uddhav Thackeray] agree with it?” Mr. Shah said.
Referring to the split in the Shiv Sena, the Home Minister took a dig at Mr. Thackeray and said, “Shiv Sainiks left you and came to us because they were fed up with your politics and ideology. We all know who the real Shiv Sena is, they have also got the bow and arrow symbol.”
After landing in Nanded, the home turf of senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, the senior BJP leader offered prayers at Takhat Sach Khandelwal Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara.
In his first rally at Nanded ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Mr. Shah also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Rahul baba always likes to go abroad and criticise the government perhaps because nobody listens to him here … Modiji is cheered and greeted by everyone wherever he goes in the world,” Mr. Shah said, referring to Mr. Gandhi’s recent trip to the United States where he criticised the Narendra Modi government.
He said, “Modiji has been India’s pride and because of our PM, India has made progress in all the fields.”
