Shivamogga, May 1 (IANS): Commenting on reservations for Muslims, BJP President J.P. Nadda said on Tuesday that B.R. Ambedkar said there is no place for reservation based on religious lines.
Addressing an Intellectual Meeting at Shivamogga in Karnataka, the BJP President said the Congress government in the state headed by CM Siddaramaiah gave 4 per cent reservations to Muslims from the OBC quota.
"In undivided Andhra Pradesh, they tried multiple times to rob the reservation for the SC, ST, and OBC categories and to give it to the Muslim community. We are not against Muslims. B.R. Ambedkar clearly stated that there is no place for reservation on the basis of religion. The development shows the vicious and divisive design that people have,” he said.
“CM Siddaramaiah will only talk about divisive politics and religion, nothing beyond that. His only agenda is to divide communities. Siddaramaiah always says the state is not getting its due. What he is saying is correct. Siddaramaiah will never get this due. They don’t believe in ‘mission’, they only believe in ‘commission’, which they will never get,” Nadda said.
The BJP chief also said that there has been a rise of 275 per cent in funds for development projects allocated to Karnataka as compared to the UPA era.
"Rs 8,000 crore was spent on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway. The Bengaluru suburban railway project has been allocated Rs 15,700 crore. Under the Bharat Mala project, 614 km of highways are being constructed in the state," Nadda said.
Besides, the Bengaluru airport was provided Rs 5,000 crore while the Shivamogga airport was allotted Rs 450 crore, he said, adding that more than Rs 14,000 crore was released for smart cities in Karnataka.
"The opposition has got nothing to say. They only try to save the corrupt people," Nadda said.
"The opposition leaders have gone into deep depression as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that this time the NDA will cross the 400-seat mark. The opposition stands exposed in its design to divide India," he added.