BJP asks PM to clarify on Religion Reservation

New Delhi, Nov 14: The BJP today deplored the demand for religion based reservation, including for Dalit Muslims, and demanded the Government, particularly Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to clarify its stand on the issue.

''It is rather amazing and disturbing that the Government is silent on the issue despite the repeated demand for religion based reservation being made by senior ministers of the Government,'' BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Terming the demand as totally unconstitutional but also designed to promote the ''worst form of appeasement without constituional sanction'', he said such a demand for reservation was ''dangerous having far reaching implication for the integrity of the country.,'' The BJP, he said, was all for the development of minorities - socially, politically and educationally, but ''the shameless vote bank politics being practiced for last more than 50 years by the so-called secular parties, has established once again that the genuine welfare of the minorities has never been their motivation''.

He said the Constitution is very clear as to who should be a scheduled caste. According to paragraph three of the Constitution (Scheduled Caste) order 1950, no person who professes a religion different from Hindu (the Sikh or the Buddhist) shall be deemed be members of the scheduled caste.

On the issue of reservation for Dalit Muslims, he said the Supreme Court in the Soosai Vs Union of India (AIR 1986 Supreme Court 733) also clearly stated that a scheduled caste on conversion to Christianity is not entitled to welfare assistance available under the constitution order of 1950.

UNI