BJP condemns TN for reservation to christians, Muslims

New Delhi, Apr 6 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party today strongly condemned the Tamil Nadu Government's decision to provide reservation to Christians and Muslims, asserting the step was totally ''unconstitutional, and a threat to national unity.'' The party also expressed surprised that the DMK Government in Tamil Nadu had based its decision on a Government Order issued by the British Government in 1921 and overlooked the country's own Constitution which did not provide for religion-based reservation.

Talking to newspersons, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the state government's decision would not only divide the people but also lead to conversions. ''The BJP always stood for reservations for economically weak and backward people through special programmes,'' he maintained.

He said the Constitution provided for reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who were victims of untouchability and discrimination in Hindu society. While making provisions in the Constitution for SCs and STs, the Constituent Assembly had however rejected the proposal for religion-based reservations.

The Christians and Muslims always claimed there was no caste system in their society. Therefore, giving them reservation was aimed at furthering vote bank politics which was always opposed by the BJP, he said.

Reaffirming the BJP's commitment for reservation to socially and backward classes irrespective of religion, Mr Javadekar said that the Mandal Commission had provided the reservation benefits to several Muslims sections. None objected to it as the criteria to include them in the list of reservation was economic, not religion, he said.

UNI