Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The Congress had ignored the recommendations of the Saheb Kalelkar Commission as well as the Mandal Commission, and Rajiv Gandhi even opposed OBC reservation in 1990, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Haryana on Tuesday. He alleged that in Karnataka, the Congress gave OBC reservation benefits to Muslims.
“The Congress snatched reservation from backward classes in Karnataka and gave it to Muslims. If the Congress forms the government, they will do the same in Haryana too,” Shah claimed. He was speaking at the ‘Backward Classes Samman Sammelan’ in the state.
“Congress has always been against the backward classes. In 1957, Kaka Kalelkar Commission was formed for OBC reservation, but Congress did not implement it for years. In 1980, Indira Gandhi shelved the Mandal Commission. When it was introduced in 1990, Rajiv Gandhi opposed OBC reservation by giving a speech for 2 hours and 43 minutes,” Shah said.
He added that only the BJP cared for OBCs and said that 27 of 71 cabinet ministers are from backward classes.
“In Karnataka, the Congress snatched reservation for backward classes and gave it to Muslims. The same will happen here if they come to power here,” Shah said.
The Haryana assembly elections are scheduled to be held later this year. The BJP is looking at a challenge after being in power for two terms, after the Congress won 5 of the state’s 10 Lok sabha seats; in 2019, the BJP had swept all the seats.