Andhra quota: BJP says Congress biased against Hindus

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday accused the Andhra Pradesh government of bias against Hindus, saying it had ignored recommendations to include 36 more castes as OBCs while deciding to issue a fresh ordinance to provide job reservations to socially and economically backward Muslims.

"The state's backward classes commission has recommended that 36 more Hindu castes should be classified as OBCs. But the Congress government has ignored that recommendation. This is injustice and prejudice against Hindus," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said.

The ordinance that the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to issue aims at providing four per cent reservation to socially and economically backward Muslims in jobs and educational institutions.

Javadekar alleged that the state government had gone beyond what is already covered under the Mandal commission, saying it seeks to give job reservation to several Muslim groups which have until now been outside of the quota ambit.

"This is crass appeasement. The state government has not done its homework and it just wants to paste an unnecessary divisive label on sections of the Muslim community," the BJP leader said.

Fifteen Muslim groups in the state have been identified as socially, economically and educationally backward to be eligible for reservations.

The state government's move came against the backdrop of the High Court quashing an earlier ordinance providing five per cent reservations for Muslims.