Salient points of press conference of senior BJP Leader Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad (M.P.).

Salient Points of Bharatiya Janata Party Senior Leader, former Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad’s Press Conference

The Karnataka Congress government's announcement of a 4% reservation for Muslim contractors in government tenders is unconstitutional and goes against the spirit of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Constitution

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The announcement of 4% reservation for Muslim contractors in government contracts in Karnataka by the Congress government is going to harm national unity. BJP strongly condemns this.

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Congress is taking appeasement politics to new extremes, which is highly dangerous for the nation. There is no hope of wisdom from Rahul Gandhi.

The country witnessed a harmonious Holi celebration, with Hindus and Muslims displaying a renewed sense of unity and brotherhood. However, at the same time, communal and vote-bank politics are being reshaped
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Seemingly minor decisions, such as the 4% religion-based reservation in government contracts, can lead to significant changes in the long run. History has shown that even small demands during the freedom movement eventually resulted in the partition
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Will Congress Party introduce separate queues for Muslims? Will there be reservations in railway and cinema tickets too? This is not just a constitutional issue but a matter of practical political consequences
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Despite facing repeated electoral defeats, Congress and Company are not desisting from the politics of appeasement

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Parties like Congress engage solely in vote-bank politics, which ultimately weakens the empowered voice of the Muslim community in the country

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Granting reservation to only one community will deprive other socially backward sections of their rightful opportunities. Reservation also has its limits, and 100% reservation is not only unconstitutional but also weakens the nation
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Bharatiya Janata Party Senior Leader, former Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad addressed a press conference at the party’s headquarters in New Delhi, on Saturday. During the conference, Shri Prasad strongly criticized the Karnataka Congress government for allocating a special 4% quota for the Muslim community in government contracts in its 2025 budget. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad stated that while the BJP secured a resounding victory in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi because the people of the country do not want to see Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi weakened, certain political parties, despite facing repeated electoral defeats, continue to pursue appeasement politics.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said that today’s issue pertains specifically to Karnataka, but its impact is nationwide, and it also exposes the mindset of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi. The Congress government in Karnataka has announced a 4% reservation for Muslim contractors in government tenders in its budget. Until now, reservations were provided in jobs, but now Congress is directly granting a 4% reservation to the Muslim community in government contracts as well.

Shri Prasad said that yesterday, the festival of Holi was celebrated across the country with peace and harmony. Despite various concerns, Holi was celebrated with love in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and across the nation, where Hindus and Muslims demonstrated a new sense of unity and harmony. At the same time, communal and vote-bank politics are being given a new form. Seemingly minor decisions, such as the 4% religion-based reservation in government contracts, eventually lead to significant changes. Despite continuous opposition on issues like the Shah Bano case, triple talaq, and Ram Janmabhoomi, reforms took place. During the Lok Sabha elections, false claims were made to portray the BJP as anti-reservation, but the public rejected these claims. The BJP achieved massive victories in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Delhi because the people of the country do not want to see Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi weakened. However, despite repeated electoral defeats, some political parties refuse to change their strategy. The reservation granted in Karnataka has been given with the support and approval of Rahul Gandhi. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah neither has the courage to announce it independently nor the political strength to do so.

BJP MP Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad said that Rahul Gandhi has once again traveled to Vietnam, despite having visited the country in January as well. He celebrated the New Year in Vietnam and is now spending Holi there too. Rahul Gandhi has spent nearly 22 days in Vietnam, which is more than the time he has dedicated to his parliamentary constituency. While he did spend some time in Raebareli, the sudden deep interest in Vietnam raises questions. Now that he is the Leader of the Opposition, his presence in the country is essential. India respects Vietnam, but it is natural for questions to arise over his frequent visits. As the Leader of the Opposition, he must provide an explanation for this extraordinary interest. In Karnataka, minor issues are exaggerated, but history has shown that even during the freedom movement, small demands led to major divisions. The Congress party is continuously taking vote-bank politics and Muslim appeasement to new heights, which is dangerous for the country. Hindu temples are being attacked in Bengal, and such incidents are increasing in Karnataka as well. How far will this appeasement politics go? Will there be separate queues for Muslims? Will there be reservations for railway and cinema tickets too? This is not just a constitutional issue but a matter of practical political reality. Despite repeated election defeats, Congress refuses to reconsider its policies, reflecting its deep-rooted vote-bank politics, which the BJP has always opposed and will continue to oppose.

BJP MP Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, calling the Karnataka government's approval of 4% reservation for Muslim contractors unconstitutional, stated that a similar reservation granted in Andhra Pradesh was struck down by the court and is now pending before the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench. The Indian Constitution does not permit reservations based on religion but considers social and educational backwardness as the criteria. Granting reservation to OBCs is justified, but directly providing 4% reservation to a specific religion in government contracts is against the Constitution. Shri Prasad cited the Supreme Court's Indra Sawhney case and other rulings, emphasizing that the court has repeatedly made it clear that reservation cannot be granted based on religion. A similar case is pending in West Bengal, where the court rejected religion-based reservation.

Shri Prasad targeted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, stating that Singh had once claimed that the Muslim community had the first right over national resources, while Rahul Gandhi had called Congress a party of Muslims. Shri Prasad stated that Congress's politics aligns closely with the ideology of the Muslim League. India has two ideological streams—one that follows the legacy of Maulana Azad, Abdul Hamid, APJ Abdul Kalam, Rahim, Raskhan, Malik Muhammad Jayasi, and Ashfaqulla Khan, and another that leans towards Jinnah's politics. Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision is different from that of other leaders. Under his leadership, Param Vir Chakra awardee Abdul Hamid was also honored in the renaming of islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was the BJP government that made APJ Abdul Kalam the President of India.

BJP MP shared his experience, stating that during the government of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while serving as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, he had the opportunity to watch a cricket match in Pakistan. When Indian bowlers Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan quickly dismissed Pakistani batsmen, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister asked him, “Where are these Muslims from?” Later, when Mohammad Kaif played a brilliant innings, the same question was repeated. He responded by saying, "They are all sons of Bharat Mata and have come to win for India." The BJP promotes this very ideology and gives due respect to all. On the other hand, some parties engage only in vote-bank politics, which ultimately weakens the empowered voice of Muslims in the country.

Shri Prasad stated that a significant section of the Muslim community in the country now disapproves of such politics. After the construction of the Ram Mandir, crores of people are visiting the site, and in Kashi, even women wearing burqas are celebrating Holi, which reflects a remarkable social transformation. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's speech on October 27, 1951, is mentioned in Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches (Volume 17, Part 3, Page 418), where he stated that Congress leader Pandit Nehru had delivered thousands of speeches over the past 20 years but never spoke about the welfare of the Scheduled Castes. BJP MP Shri Prasad remarked that this reveals the true mindset of the Congress party. Muslims should not be neglected, but their rights should not come at the expense of other communities. Granting reservations to only one community will deprive other socially backward sections of their rightful opportunities. There is a limit to reservations, and 100% reservation is not only unconstitutional but also weakens the nation. It promotes appeasement politics, which harms national unity. This is why the Karnataka government's decision is being strongly condemned from a national perspective. This decision will be challenged in court. No one expects rationality from Rahul Gandhi, but following his lead, other Congress-ruled states may also attempt similar moves, which will be opposed at every level.

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