This is not a decision taken for election. BJP has always been against reservation based on religion, Amit Shah told News18 Kannada. (PTI/FILE)
Karnataka Elections 2023: Backward Muslims in the state will continue to get reservation under EWS category, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah tells News18 Kannada in an exclusive interview
The decision to end the 4% quota for Muslims in Karnataka under 2B category was taken because the Constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah told News18 Kannada in an exclusive interview , denied any motive for the move.
“We have not repealed 2B. We have abolished Muslim reservation. Our constitution does not allow reservation on the basis of religion. It is not constitutional, so we have removed it. There is a slight delay in doing it.”
“It is not a decision taken for elections. BJP has always been against reservation on the basis of religion.
Asked about the move being challenged in court, the home minister said: “If you want to know the legal extent of it, we did not end reservation among backward Muslims working as laborers as per the Backward Commission report Is. Because it is not on the basis of religion, but on the basis of backward caste. 2B reservation was on the basis of religion for the entire Muslim community. That’s why we removed it. That’s why we have taken this decision constitutionally.”
He said that the backward Muslims in the state would continue to get reservation under the EWS category. “On the basis of religion non-reserved communities are accommodated in EWS. There is no Muslim reservation in Gujarat. However, there is reservation in EWS for children from economically backward Muslim communities. But that reservation is not available to the entire Muslim community,” said Shah.
The BJP government in Karnataka had on March 24 decided to scrap the 4% reservation for Muslims under 2B category. The 4% was later divided into two and distributed between Vokkaligas in the 2C category and Lingayats in the 2D category.
The state government announced two new categories of reservation and divided the 4% Muslim quota between Vokkaligas and Lingayats, two numerically dominant and politically influential communities. Muslims eligible for the quota were classified under the Economically Weaker Sections.
The decision of the state government has also increased the reservation limit to about 57% now.
On 13 April, the Karnataka government’s decision came under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court, which questioned the government’s order and said that prima facie it appeared to be on “highly shaky grounds” and “flawed”.
Taking note of the observations, the Karnataka government had assured the apex court that it would stay its order till the next date of hearing.
On April 25, the Supreme Court said that the 4% reservation to Muslims will continue till May 9, the eve of polling in the Karnataka elections, when the apex court will hear a batch of petitions on the issue.
Watch full interview with Home Minister Amit Shah on YouTube at 8 pm https://www.youtube.com/@News18Kannada and on News18 Kannada TV channel.
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