Bengaluru, Apr 24 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asked whether the Congress leaders want to take away the reservation given by the BJP to the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. He further questioned whether the Congress want to give the reservation quota taken away from these communities to the Muslims.

Addressing a huge gathering at a roadshow in Sakleshpur assembly constituency of Hassan district, considered as a bastion of the JD (S) and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Amit Shah claimed that "We had taken out the 4 per cent reservation quota of Muslims given by the Congress and distributed it to Lingayats and Vokkaligas."

The Congress leaders are announcing that they would reverse this reservation quota. "Whose quota are you going to withdraw?" Amit Shah questioned.

Earlier, during his roadshow in Gundlupet town of Chamarajanagar district, Amit Shah maintained that Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar is talking about withdrawing reservations given to the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. "Whose reservations are going to be cut down and you want to give it to them (Muslims)," Amit Shah questioned.

Will you cut down the Lingayat quota or the Vokkaligas quota, Amit Shah questioned. The Congress practices appeasement politics while PM Narendra Modi believes in development politics. "So, you decide whom to support. Only the BJP can ensure development," Amit Shah claimed.

A huge crowd welcomed Amit Shah for the roadshow both in Gundlupet and Hassan. He sought votes for BJP candidate Niranjan Kumar in Gundlupet and Sakaleshapura BJP constestant, S. Manjunatha. The Chamarajanagar district has sizable votes of the Lingayats and Hassan is considered a Vokkaliga heartland.

The statements of Amit Shah were aimed at the consolidation of the Lingayat and Vokkaliga votes towards the BJP, especially in the south Karnataka region. His whirlwind tour there is expected to create waves for the BJP and lift up the spirits of party workers.