Daijiworld Media Network

New Delhi, March 24: BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has sharply criticised the Karnataka Cabinet’s decision to offer 4% reservation to Muslim contractors in public tenders, accusing the Congress party of undermining the Constitution.

In an interview with IANS, Poonawalla said that the Congress party was “against the Constitution, against reservation, and against Ambedkar,” referencing the pivotal role Dr B.R. Ambedkar played in drafting India's Constitution.

He pointed out that Congress leader and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had expressed concerns over the constitutionality of the four per cent Muslim reservation, suggesting that it might not hold up in government contracts.

“It is clear that the Congress party is against the Constitution, against reservation, and against Ambedkar,” Poonawalla remarked. “Congress leader D.K. Shivakumar has said that the four per cent reservation for Muslims is not constitutionally valid in government contracts. However, the Congress party asserts, ‘So what? We will change the Constitution.’”

Poonawalla further criticised Congress for claiming to be protectors of the Constitution while simultaneously promoting policies that he argued threatened its integrity. He also took issue with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks suggesting that the BJP could alter the Constitution at will if it held power.

“The Congress itself wants to change the Constitution by going against Ambedkar and the founding principles on which it was established. The Congress is attempting to implement a policy that divides the Muslim community along religious lines and undermines the Constitution of India,” he said.

The BJP spokesperson also drew attention to Congress’s historical stance on reservations, highlighting the party’s opposition to the reservation allocated to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and its general resistance to reservation policies, even during the time of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Poonawalla emphasised that the Congress party’s past actions, such as imposing the Emergency in 1975, had already caused significant harm to the Constitution.

“This is the same Congress that imposed the draconian Emergency in 1975, and now, it is again trying to twist the Constitution to suit its political interests, this time in a bid to appease its Muslim vote bank,” Poonawalla said.

“Is providing reservation based on religion in line with the Constitution? Rahul Gandhi must answer who the real enemy of the Constitution is. The answer is Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi stated that the Congress would stop reservations, further exposing the party’s anti-Ambedkar, anti-Constitution stance,” he said.

The Karnataka government’s decision on March 15 to amend the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act has sparked controversy. The amendment, which aims to provide four per cent reservation to Muslim contractors under a new category called Category-II B, was confirmed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah earlier in March. The reservation will apply to procurement of goods and services across various government departments, corporations, and institutions, for contracts up to Rs 1 crore, with Category-II B designated specifically for Muslims.

This decision has intensified the ongoing debate over the legality of providing reservations based on religion, with critics, like Poonawalla, arguing that it threatens the secular and inclusive principles of India’s Constitution.