Bommai govt playing 'fraud', AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge says on quota issue

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday attacked the BJP on the quota issue alleging that the Bommai government is playing a “fraud” on Lingayats, Vokkaligas, SCs and STs, as the Supreme Court extended the stay on implementation of quota till further orders.

Describing the BJP as ‘Betrayal Janata Party’, he said the Bommai government had scrapped the 4 per cent quota for Muslims and redistributed it to Lingayats and Vokkaligas, a decision which was challenged in the Supreme Court.

In a statement issued after the Supreme Court order, Kharge said the “clear outcome” is that “everyone is defrauded and no one gets any reservation” due to the “dupe all, deceive all, defraud all” policy of the BJP.

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He claimed that the Bommai government extending its own stay on the implementation of the new quota regime has led to the roll back of whatever quota Lingayats and Vokkaligas were entitled to. He also said the quota increase for Dalits and tribals was rejected by the Modi government in Parliament in March this year.“What the Congress has always said has come true – the Bommai-Modi governments are “double engine dhoka, defrauding all in the name of reservation,” he said.

“The sole purpose of ‘Betrayal Janata Party’ is to give ‘lollipops of reservation’. The malintent of the Bommai government is apparent – get the reservation embroiled in litigation before the courts as the B JP and Bommai governments do ‘vote bank politics’ and claim fake credit without giving reservation to anyone,” he alleged.

Kharge claimed that this was proved on April 25 when the Karnataka government told the Supreme Court that it was withholding the reservation order and this was reiterated on May 9. The result is that no one will get the benefit of reservation at all, he added.

Claiming that the “con-job on reservation is clear”, he asked why did the BJP governments play a “fraud” on Lingayats, Vokkaligas, SCs and STs and why it did not defend the reservation in the apex court. He also asked why the law on increased reservation for SC-ST was not put in the IX Schedule of the Constitution, which ensures that it cannot be challenged in courts.

Kharge also asked why the BJP was refusing to increase the 50 per cent quota cap and instead “unjustifiably” targeted minority reservation for the purpose of polarisation.

“Will the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister publicly admit the fraud of reservation played by them on Kannadigas and apologise to the SCs, STs, Lingayats, Vokkaligas and others for the treachery committed by the BJP in the name of reservation,” he added.