NEW DELHI: The Karnataka chief minister’s office (CMO) issued a statement on Tuesday dismissing media reports about potential Muslim job reservations as “another new lie.” The CMO confirmed that whilst there were demands for such reservations, no formal proposal existed.
The CMO’s clarification came amidst ongoing controversy about Muslim reservations in Karnataka. The official statement addressed media reports about proposed job reservations for Muslims, saying, “A report has been published in some media that a proposal to give reservations to Muslims in jobs is before the government.”
“It is true that there has been a demand for reservation. However, it has been clarified that there is no proposal before the government in this regard,” the statement added.
At a rally in Palamu, Jharkhand on Saturday, Union home minister Amit Shah criticised Congress’s stance on Muslim reservations. He said, “Congress talks about reservation, but in our constitution, there is no such provision to give reservation based on religion. In Maharashtra, some ‘Ulema’ submitted a memorandum about 10 percent reservation for Muslims. Congress said they would help them. Congress wants to give 10 per cent reservation to Muslims by decreasing the reservation limit for OBCs, Dalits, and Tribals.”
Shah asserted, “I want to warn Rahul Gandhi from here. As long as the Bharatiya Janata Party is there, minorities will not get reservation in this country. He labelled Congress as “anti-OBC” party.
Earlier in April this year, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) raised concerns regarding Karnataka’s classification of Muslims as OBCs.