We don't want a single Muslim vote, says KS Eshwarappa

Former Karnataka minister KS Eshwarappa on Monday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party does not need a single vote from the Muslim community but went on to say that nationalist Muslims would vote for the party anyway.

Addressing a gathering of Veerashaiva - Lingayat community in Shivamogga, Eshwarappa said, "There are more than 60,000 Muslims in the city. BJP does not require even a single Muslim vote here. Nationalist Muslims will, anyway, vote for the saffron party."

"We don't have to ask for Muslim votes, because those who received help from us, will vote for BJP," he further said.

The Muslim community, which constitutes 13 per cent of Karnataka's population, holds sway in 60 of the 224 assembly seats across the state. The community has traditionally favoured Congress in elections.

Notably, the Karnataka government decided to do away with the four per cent OBC reservation for Muslims and distributed it to two dominant communities, Veerashaiva-Lingayats and Vokkaligas.

The announcement led to public outrage and criticism from leaders of several opposition parties in the poll-bound Karnataka.

However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the government's decision saying reservations provided to the minorities in the state were not as per the provisions of the constitution.

"Reservations provided to the Muslims were not in accordance with the Constitution. There is no provision in the Constitution to provide reservation on the basis of religion," Amit Shah said.

"Congress government announced reservations to minorities due to its polarisation politics," he added.

The Congress has vowed to restore reservations for the Muslim community under the OBC list if voted to power in the upcoming assembly election.