Introducing Islamic banking may prove disastrous, warns BJP

New Delhi, Feb 8 (UNI) Accusing the UPA coalition of playing ''diabolic'' vote bank politics on the country by talking of introducing Islamic banking, the BJP today warned the government that any such move was fraught with disastrous consequences for social harmony.

BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the Congress, which is leading the ruling coalition, had not learnt anything from the Partition and was now preparing ground for further division of the country by introducing Islamic banking, which ''does not exist even in many Islamic countries''.

''This is a perfect recipe for national disintegration,'' Mr Javadekar said.

He said the very concept of Islamic banking was against accepting or paying interest, a system which had sustained the huge banking network around the globe. ''Now for the Government of India to invest Rs 40,000 crore on a venture where returns are uncertain, just for the sake of securing Muslims votes is not fair for the country.'' Instead they could have clubbed economically weaker sections of the country along with Muslims to empower them.

''The Constitution of India does not allow discrimination on religious grounds,'' he added.

Mr Javadekar said there was a direction from the government to various nationalised banks to earmark a specific portion of their lending to Muslims, that too, at a time when the entire community was availing itself of various banking services and had no such grievance like being discriminated against when it comes to getting loans and other services.

''The sole aim of the Congress is to appease Muslims by all means as it did during the last elections by repealing POTA and now, delaying the execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru, the parliament attack convict,'' he alleged.

UNI