Supriya Sule sparks off controversy citing MVA poll manifesto mentioning quota for Muslims
Sule has stated that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) backed reservation for Muslims and for Lingayats, emphasising that this is not a new sentiment.
Amid the BJP’s accusations of appeasement politics over granting 4 per cent quota for Muslims, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the community, like other groups, made the demand but no decision has been taken yet.
“They (Muslims) have made a demand. We have provided reservation to the backward classes, SCs and STs, so they have also made a demand. But there is no discussion on that,” he stated.
Siddaramaiah’s clarification came following accusations by the saffron party that the Congress is engaging in “Muslim appeasement”.
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Reacting to the proposed Muslim quota, BJP leader Amit Malviya termed it a “gross contempt of the Constitution.” He questioned, “If Muslims are given this quota in Karnataka, then whose share will be cut—SCs, STs, or OBCs? In Telangana too, Muslims have been given 4% reservations, reducing the share meant for socially backward communities.”
He further accused the Congress-led Mahavikas Aghadi of complying with what he described as a “Jinnah-like demand” from the All India Ulema Board.
“In Maharashtra, the Congress-led MVA has accepted a Jinnah-like demand of the All India Ulema Board. It is all about Muslim votes for the Congress, in gross contempt of the Constitution, which precludes any religion-based reservation,” Malviya wrote on X.
Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been vocal about the issue of Muslim appeasement in Maharashtra, accusing the Congress and its allies of dividing Hindus along caste lines and redirecting SC, ST, and OBC reservation benefits to Muslims.
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