BJP MP K Laxman on Monday alleged in the Rajya Sabha that several Opposition-ruled states were including all Muslims in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, thereby violating the conditions set for reservation, leading to the Opposition’s withdrawal from the House.
Speaking during Zero Hour, Laxman said OBC reservation is being misused in the name of religion and states like Telangana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have included all Muslims in the quota for OBCs.
He stated that this listing violates the reservation policy, which does not provide shares based on religion, and called for a review of the matter. He also cited the judgments of the high courts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu that questioned the practice of extending the OBC quota to all Muslims.
“There should be a comprehensive review of such religion-based reservations,” Laxman said amid protests from the opposition.
The opposition withdrew in protest, prompting Rajya Sabha leader JP Nadda to criticize the move. He said the opposition, especially Congress, “did not respect the Constitution and parliamentary procedures.”
He criticized the strike, saying that the All India Alliance was not interested in discussions and did not respect democratic values or the Constitution. Nadda alleged that the opposition parties consider Muslims as a vote bank and indulge in appeasement politics.
In the past, the BJP has criticized the TMC government in Bengal for including several Muslim groups in the OBC list between 2010 and 2012. In Karnataka too, the party targeted the Congress government for providing 4% reservation for Muslims in government contracts.
