TERMING THE 15 per cent reservation for minorities in development budget as ?unconstitutional and dangerous?, firebrand BJP leader and general secretary of the party Vinay Katiyar said here on Saturday that the move would only increase the dominance of Muslims in the country.
TERMING THE 15 per cent reservation for minorities in development budget as “unconstitutional and dangerous”, firebrand BJP leader and general secretary of the party Vinay Katiyar said here on Saturday that the move would only increase the dominance of Muslims in the country.
HT Image
He also termed the reports of change of leadership in the State BJP as baseless and said that most probably the assembly elections in the State would be contested under the leadership of Kesari Nath Tripathi only.
Katiyar, who was going from his native village Dadhika in Kanpur Dehat to Lucknow, told mediapersons that by reserving 15 per cent of the development fund for minorities, the UPA government was trying to woo Muslims.
He said this move was dangerous for the unity and integrity of the country, besides being unconstitutional.
Katiyar said that during discussions on the framing of the Constitution, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru had said that nobody should get benefits on the basis of religion.
Leaders like Agha Khan had also supported Pt Nehru. However, today the Congress-led UPA government was trying to give benefits to minorities on the basis of religion, merely for political gains. It was against the very spirit of the Constitution.
He said either the Congress-led UPA government should withdrew its reservation to minorities or should accept the fact that the statement made by Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru during the discussion on the Constitution was wrong. Coming back to the report regarding the State leadership, Katiyar said that it was baseless.
However, he feigned ignorance about reports that either Kalyan Singh or Kalraj Misra could be entrusted with the responsibility of the party for the State assembly elections.