The debate of Muslim vs SC/ST continued to make its mark in the ongoing election campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while campaigning in Rajasthan’s Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha, claiming that the Congress in 2004 had tried to give reservation to members of Muslim community by reducing SC/ST quota.
“Congress party ki soch hamesha tushtikaran ki rahi hai, vote bank ki rajneeti ki rahi hai. 2004 jaise hi Congress ki kendra mein sarkar bani, usme sabse pehle kiye gaye kaamo mein tha… Andhra Pradesh mei SC/ST ki reservation mein se kami karke, musalmaano ko rservation dene ka prayas. Ye ek pilot project tha, jisse Congress pure desh mein aazmana chahati thi. 2004 se 2010 ke beech, Congress ne 4 baar Andhra Pradesh mein Muslim reservation laagu karni ki koshish ki lekin kaanooni archane ki vajah se, Supreme Court ki jaagruta ke karan, woh jo apne mazboot mansuba leke chale the, woh pure nahi kar paaye. 2011 mein Congress ne isse desh mei laagu karne ki koshish ki, SC/ST aur OBC ko mila hua adhikaar, cheen kar ke vote bank ke rajneeti ke liye, auro ko dene ka khel kiya. Congress ne itne prayas ye jaante bhujte kiye ki ye sab samvidhaan ki mool bhavna ke khilaf tha. Lekin Congress ne samvidhaan ki, Baba Saheb Ambedkar ki parvah nahi ki.
(Congress party’s ideology has always been that of appeasement and vote bank politics. In 2004, when Congress formed the government at the Centre, one of the first things they did was to include Muslims in the SC/ST quota in Andhra Pradesh. This was a pilot project that the Congress government wanted to implement across the country. Between 2004 and 2010, they tried to implement a Muslim reservation four times but could not because of legal hurdles and an alert Supreme Court. In 2011, Congress wanted to implement this across the country, and give the rights of SC/ST and OBC to others for vote bank politics. Congress made these attempts despite knowing this is against the Constitution, but they didn’t care about the Constitution or Ambedkar),” he said.
The incident Modi was referring to was the Andhra Pradesh Government Order No. 33 (G.O. 33) of 12 July , reserving 5 per cent seats in educational institutions and government jobs for Muslims that was issued by the YS Rajasekhara Reddy led Congress party.
Within weeks of Reddy taking oath as the CM of the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2004, the Government had extended 5 per cent reservation to Muslims. The said order was, however, quashed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on 21 September. The order, issued by the Backward Classes Welfare Department, had created a new category “E” among the Backward Classes and gave 5 per cent reservation to Muslims over and above what was already provided to Backward Classes under categories A, B, C and D.
Reservation for Muslims was promised by both the main political parties in the State, the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in the run-up to the Assembly elections in April. While the Congress promised 5 per cent, the TDP promised 3 per cent reservation.
The TDP is now contesting the current general elections as a part of the BJP led National Democratic Alliance. The speech at Tonk focusing on Congress’s ‘appeasement’ politics comes two days after Modi, while speaking at a rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on Sunday, had said that the Congress, if voted to power, could distribute the nation’s wealth among “infiltrators” and “those who have more children”.
The PM’s remarks had prompted a uproar from the from the opposition, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge calling it “hate speech” and asking the Election Commission of India to act against it.
On Monday, while addressing a rally in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Modi had told the voters about how he had made the Triple Talaq illegal which had helped not just women members of the Muslim community but saved the troubles for their entire family.
Modi also spoke about his contribution in uplifting backward sections (Pasmanda) with in the Muslim community, while accusing the accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of practising “appeasement” but doing nothing to uplift the socio-economic condition of the Muslim community. In Aligarh, Modi, while recalling his friendship with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince (Mohammed Bin Salman), said he had ensured an increase in Haj quota and relaxation in visa norms.
“The government took an important decision by allowing Muslim women to go for the Haj without a Mehram [male companion]. I am getting blessings of hundreds of such women.” Later in the day, the government announced the appointment of Professor Naima Khatoon as the next Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. She is the first woman to be appointed as the V-C of the university.