Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, March 24: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has announced his intention to take legal action against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for allegedly misquoting him regarding his remarks on Muslim reservation.

Speaking on Monday, Shivakumar expressed his anger over what he described as a deliberate distortion of his words and made it clear that he would not tolerate such misrepresentation.

“I will initiate a breach of privilege motion and take legal action for misquoting me. The BJP is misquoting me and distorting my words. Congress understands the Constitution and how it functions. The BJP is deliberately misrepresenting my words, and I will take legal action against this breach of privilege,” Shivakumar stated in response to the controversy.

The dispute stems from Shivakumar’s comments during a recent media conclave, where he suggested that some constitutional changes had been made in response to judicial rulings. The BJP seized on this statement, accusing him of advocating for constitutional amendments to provide reservations based on religion, a claim that Shivakumar vehemently denied.

He clarified, “I merely mentioned in a casual manner that several changes have been made following judicial verdicts. Whatever reservations are provided are within the quota of backward classes. I never said that Congress would amend the Constitution. I only pointed out that, based on judicial rulings, some constitutional amendments have been made in the past. That is all.”

Shivakumar also expressed frustration over the BJP's use of his remarks for political purposes, accusing the party of distorting the truth to serve its own agenda. “If the BJP is happy misinterpreting my words, they can do as they please,” he added.

The deputy chief minister further accused the BJP of misleading the public for political gains. He claimed that the BJP’s popularity was rapidly declining and that it was relying on attacks against the Gandhi family to maintain relevance.

“If the BJP does not take the name of the Gandhi family, they won’t be able to sleep at night. It is a political conspiracy against me and my party. However, since the matter is being discussed in Parliament, they have certain protections,” Shivakumar remarked.

Congress MLC B K Hariprasad also joined the defence, explaining that Shivakumar may have mistakenly used the phrase “change of Constitution” when he meant “amendment of Constitution.” Hariprasad emphasised that the Constitution cannot be changed, and that the Muslim quota being discussed could be implemented using existing legal provisions, without needing to amend the Constitution.

The BJP, however, was quick to criticise Shivakumar’s comments, with BJP State president B Y Vijayendra accusing the Congress party of attempting to amend the Constitution to appease Muslims.

“Shivakumar’s statement exposes the Congress party’s real intentions, which are to amend the Constitution for Muslim appeasement,” Vijayendra said. He added that such a move would be unconstitutional and rejected any suggestion of altering the Constitution for religion-based reservations.

Amit Malviya, head of BJP’s National Information and Technology Department, also chimed in, referring to the BJP’s strong objections in the Rajya Sabha over Shivakumar’s remarks. Malviya reminded the Congress of the rejection of Muslim reservations by the Constituent Assembly in 1947, which was led by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

“In 1947, the Muslim League raised the issue of Muslim representation and reservations in the Constituent Assembly, but it was rejected. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution includes no provision for religion-based reservations. The Congress is the new Muslim League,” Malviya stated.

He further questioned the position of Congress leaders, particularly Rahul Gandhi, on constitutional matters. “Where is Rahul Gandhi, the self-proclaimed saviour of the Constitution now? The Congress has always prioritised appeasement over national interest. They didn’t hesitate to Partition the country on religious lines, and even after that, ensured that Muslims stayed back. There could be no greater betrayal,” Malviya said, accusing the Congress of being unfair to Hindus.