With its eyes riveted on the minority votes in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Saturday slammed Samajwadi Party and overlooked the protestations of the Election Commission.
With its eyes riveted on the minority votes in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Saturday slammed Samajwadi Party and overlooked the protestations of the Election Commission.
“When the SP chief Mulayam Singh promises that they would give 18% reservation to the Muslims, and even amend the constitution to make it effective, he is making a hollow promise. He is aware that his party would never ever have the two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to deliver on this promise,” said Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh.
“But when the Congress makes such a promise, it delivers. We have already provided a 4.5% quota for the backwards among the Muslims, and even though its implementation has been stayed by the Election Commission for two months, it is a reality. We have fulfilled our promise made during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections,” he added.
He also questioned Mulayam Singh’s commitment to the welfare of the minorities. “He has never criticised the RSS and Sangh Parivar, and on the eve of the last Lok Sabha elections, he joined hands with Kalyan Singh whose role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid is well known,” said Digvijay Singh.
Then virtually taking a shot at the Election Commission, Singh endorsed the union law minister Salman Khurshid’s promise to provide 9% reservations for Muslims. “He is the chairman of our election manifesto committee, and like our state governments in Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have done, we also intend to provide a similar quota for Muslims if we come to power in UP,” he added. Khurshid has been already served a notice by the Election Commission for making such a declaration at an election rally.
The Congress responded to BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s criticism that the party is playing divisive politics. “He is not able to see the divisive politics of Narendra Modi in the BJP. If he wants to play inclusive politics, then Jaitley should quit BJP and join the Congress,” said Singh.
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