Amit Shah: BJP opposes OBC quota for Muslims in Haryana, unlike Congress in Karnataka

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a statement alleging that if the Congress were to gain power in Haryana, they would reportedly redistribute reservations currently allocated to backward classes to the Muslims. He assured that the BJP will prevent this from happening.

Speaking at the state-level Backward Classes Samman Sammelan in Mahendragarh district, Haryana, Amit Shah cautioned that the Congress government had previously granted reservations to Muslims in the backward class category in Karnataka. He warned that if Congress comes to power in Haryana, they would replicate this action. Shah urged the people to support the BJP in the upcoming assembly elections in October.

Amit Shah assured the audience that the BJP would prevent any efforts to implement reservations for Muslims in Haryana. Emphasizing the party’s dedication to the backward classes, he highlighted the Modi government’s commitment to Dalits, the poor, and backward communities. Shah noted that 27 Union ministers come from these groups, including two representatives from Haryana, underscoring the party’s inclusive approach.

Amit Shah referenced the Kaka Kalelkar Commission, established in the 1950s to address reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and criticized the Congress for not implementing its recommendations for years. He pointed out that in 1980, He emphasized that in 1980, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi postponed the implementation of the Mandal Commission’s report. When the Mandal Commission’s recommendations were finally accepted in 1990, Rajiv Gandhi opposed OBC reservations with a lengthy two-and-a-half-hour speech, highlighting the Congress’s historical resistance to such measures.

He mentioned that the Haryana government recently made three significant decisions to benefit backward classes. One of these decisions was raising the annual income limit for the creamy layer of OBCs from Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, with salary and agricultural income being excluded from this calculation.

Earlier, there was an 8% reservation for backward classes in Group-A posts within panchayats and municipal bodies. Under a recent decision by the Saini-led government, an additional 5% reservation will now apply to Group-B posts in these institutions. In comparison, the 8% reservation for Group-A posts will continue unchanged. Amit Shah highlighted that these decisions align with Prime Minister Modi’s policies aimed at public welfare.

As per an official statement, earlier, there was an 8% reservation for the BC-A category in Panchayati Raj institutions. Now, an additional 5% reservation will be introduced for the BC-B category. Similarly, in urban local bodies, there was an existing 8% reservation for the BC-A category, which will now be complemented with a 5% reservation for the BC-B category.

Amit Shah targeted senior Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda over the Congress’s ‘Haryana Maange Hisab’ campaign, asserting that Hooda needs to account for 10 years of misgovernance and hindering Haryana’s progress.

On Monday, the Congress launched the ‘Haryana Maange Hisab’ campaign, aiming to challenge the ruling BJP on issues like unemployment and law and order as they gear up for the upcoming assembly elections.

Last week, the opposition party released a comprehensive “charge sheet” against the State government, alleging its failures in employment generation, law and order maintenance, and protecting farmers’ interests.

Shah visited Haryana for the second time in less than three weeks, urging the crowd to support the BJP in the upcoming elections and emphasizing the party’s dedication to the state’s progress and development.