The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday slammed the Siddaraiamh-led Karnataka government’s move to amend the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act to provide 4 per cent reservation to Muslim contractors in tenders, saying the move shows the “Muslim League-Jinnah mindset” of the Congress party.

During a meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Cabinet Hall of Vidhan Sabha on Friday, the state Cabinet had approved amendment to the KTPP Act, according to sources.

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The amended KTPP act will be tabled in the state assembly during the ongoing session, they added.

Reacting to the decision, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “This represents Congress’ Muslim League-Jinnah mindset. Now even contracts will be given based on religious lines?… We always feel that the contract of a road or a bridge should be given to the most competent contractor. Congress has a policy of Muslims first, vote bank first… SC, ST and OBC suffer in this; their share is given either in reservation or in such contracts.”

Also slamming the recent budgetary announcement of several other schemes for Muslims, the BJP leader said that in contrast to the Congress party’s alleged appeasement, PM Modi’s schemes benefits all communities equally.

“We saw Jinnah budget being presented by Congress, where a distinction is being made saying Muslims will get security training, Rs 50,000 for weddings, allowances and honorarium for spiritual leaders, money for Waqf and development of schools and scholarships in Muslim areas… PM Modi gives the benefit of his schemes to communities equally while the Congress government does vote bank politics…,” he added.

Karnataka BJP MLA Dr Bharat Shetty Y also hit out at the Siddaramaiah government, terming the religion-based reservation in government tenders “illegal” and “height of appeasement”.

“The Karnataka state government cabinet has made some changes in the KTPP Act (Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 1999) to give 4% reservation to Muslims in government tenders and we are seeing the height of appeasement politics in Karnataka.

“Religion-based reservation is an illegality. It is not allowed in the Constitution…This will create more problems in the state because everyone else will also demand reservation…if the population of Muslims in the state is second then I think you should withdraw the minority status for Muslims in the state of Karnataka,” Dr Shetty Y added.