The alleged statement by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar that ‘the Congress will amend the Constitution to provide reservations for Muslims’, rocked Parliament on Monday, with both the Houses being adjourned till 2 pm as ruckus prevailed on the issue.
In the Rajya Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the Congress is trying to subvert the Constitution by bringing religion-based reservations.
Leader of the House JP Nadda said the Congress is making a mockery of the Constitution and demanded an answer from Congress president and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.
Though Mr Kharge said it is the BJP who is subverting the Constitution to divide the country, the Congress is trying to protect it, his speech was disrupted in the protest by BJP members.
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Loud protests erupted as the LoP Kharge said that his party took up the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ across the country to protect the Constitution.
Mr Rijiju, however, accused the Congress party of having sullied the prestige of the Constitution while raising the issue of Muslim reservation. He also demanded Shivakumar’s resignation.
“…Raising the issue of Muslim reservation, Congress has sullied the prestige of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution. If you have guts, demand the resignation of the Deputy CM today itself,” the Union Minister said.
Leader of the House JP Nadda said the Congress is making a mockery of the Constitution and demanded an answer from Congress president, LoP Kharge.Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House as the ruckus continued.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju took up Shivakumar’s remarks in the Lok Sabha also. Mr Rijiju accused the Congress leader of saying Muslims will be granted reservation by amending the Constitution
Jagdambika Pal, who was in the Chair, adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Earlier the Lok Sabha too witnessed adjournment for an hour as Speaker Om Birla disallowed Samajwadi members from carrying posters. The Speaker was irked after Samajwadi legislators carried posters in the House and said, ”Poster baazi nahi karein.”
Outside the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told a news agency, “Today, both the Houses of Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned on a very serious issue. The NDA party has taken very serious note of the statement given by a senior Congress leader who holds a Constitutional position and he has clearly stated that the reservation in contracts to the Muslims is a step towards providing reservations and other facilities to the Muslim community and for that, he has clearly stated that the Constitution of India would be changed. ”
He further said, ”His statement is very clear…They want to give reservations to the Muslim community by changing the Constitution of India. Please remember one thing, the Muslim representation and reservation issue was rejected in 1947 when the Muslim League brought this matter to the constituent assembly for providing reservation to the Muslim community…Our Constitution is secular, there can be reservation based on economic and social criteria but there cannot be reservation on the basis of religious identity and affiliation…By amending the Constitution, the person has committed fraud on the Constitution of India. I had sought the position of Congress party & Congress party president who is the LoP in Rajya Sabha, and he must tell on the Floor of the House whether they are going to sack the person holding a Constitutional position or they are going to state clearly that Congress will destroy the Constitution of India.”
In a purported video shared by BJP national Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, Shivakumar is heard talking about changing the Constitution to grant religion-based reservations when “a good day comes.”