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.
