BJP condemns UPA's attempt to provide religion based reservations

New Delhi, Nov 13 (UNI) Condeming the attempts to provide religion-based reservation to Muslims and Christians under the guise of implementing the M Veerappa Moily Oversight Committee's recommendations, BJP president Rajnath Singh today said it was yet another ''shameful attempt''to disregard its categorical rejection by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Mr Singh, in a statement, said both the communities figure as Other Backward Classes and the BJP was in favour of extending all help to the minorities but providing reservation to a person merely because he was a follower of one religion was contrary to the spirit of the Constitution and also against the social fabric of India.

Accusing the government of being obsessed with minoritism Mr Singh said the Congress had never learnt any lesson from its past historic blunder -- providing legislative reservations to Muslims in Lucknow Congress in 1916 which eventually led to the partition of the country. The Congress, he alleged was now putting itself in the shoes of Muslim League.

The BJP President said Congress should realise that its diwndling mass base was because of its wrong internal security policies, inablity to check the rising prices of essential commodities and farmer's suicides.

Since the partition had happened on religious basis, the Constitution makers had abandoned the idea of granting reservation on the basis of religion. In its eagerness to win minority votes, the Congress would not mind balkanising the country, he alleged.

This party should desist its anti-constitutional, divisive agenda fomenting religious animosity.

"People of the country will neither relish nor allow this to happen and the BJP would block it at every opportunity,'' he added.

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