"Congress govt do it just to gain Muslim votes": BJP's Jagadish Shettar after increase in housing reservation for minority
Speaking to ANI, Shettar said, 'From the beginning, whatever is possible, the Congress govt does it just to gain Muslim votes -- that's why they indulge in appeasement politics. First, they announced a 4 per cent reservation in contracts, which has now been challenged in court and is pending. Now, they're giving reservations in housing allotments...'
But BJP MP Shettar slammed the move, calling it politically motivated. 'Limited appeasement is one thing, but this is excessive. The Congress party has only survived because of Muslim support,' Shettar added.
He also warned that such decisions could backfire for the ruling party. 'Due to all these appeasement policies, the time will come when the Congress govt will collapse,' he said.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra strongly criticised the state cabinet's decision to increase reservation for minorities under various housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent, calling it appeasement politics by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government.
Speaking to ANI, Vijayendra said, '...Chief Minister Siddaramaiah can stoop to any level to appease minorities...This is unconstitutional...Instead of doing appeasement politics, they should stress on providing education to the minorities...BJP is not against minorities, but is against anti-national elements...We will take up this issue in the assembly and also hit the streets.'
Vijayendra questioned the Congress's claim of following Ambedkar's ideology, saying, 'Congress leaders, including CM Siddaramaiah, repeatedly claim they're champions of the Dalits... but this is not what people expect.'
Union Minister Pralhad Joshi also condemned the move, calling it unconstitutional by referring to the Supreme Court's 'rejection' of religion-based reservation.
Speaking to ANI, Joshi said, 'This is against the Constitution. The Supreme Court has also rejected a religion-based reservation. This reduces the quota for OBC, ST, and poor people from the general caste. The Karnataka government is doing the politics of appeasement. I condemn this. We will also approach the court against this.'
On Thursday, the Karnataka Cabinet approved an increase in the reservation quota for minority communities under various housing schemes from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. (ANI)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Decode Politics: Why Fadnavis govt is granting Sindhi refugees land titles
In a significant step towards aiding displaced Sindhi families, the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has announced it will issue property titles to five lakh such families residing in 35 cities across the state under the 'Special Abhay Yojana 2025'. The decision, part of the BJP's poll pledges, comes at a time when the state government has launched an intense drive against 'illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants' across the state. Behind this outreach is a BJP-RSS push to bring Sindhis, who were forced to migrate from Sindh in Pakistan after Partition in 1947, under the larger Hindu umbrella. While announcing the scheme Tuesday, state Revenue Minister and Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, 'The Special Abhay Scheme will be implemented, under which residential and commercial land in 30 colonies of the Sindhi community, displaced after the 1947 Partition, will be converted to free-hold (Occupancy Class-I) according to the law.' Under the scheme, all properties in possession of Sindhis or registered with a local self-government body as of December 31, 2024 will receive ownership titles at concessional rates. The land will be converted to free-hold upon payment of a premium. 'This scheme will serve as a milestone for the welfare of the Sindhi community and reflects the government's citizen-centric policies,' Bawankule said. This move to introduce a special policy for displaced Sindhi families fulfils a promise made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections, Bawankule added. The scheme will provide legal ownership rights to homes and establishments in 30 colonies across cities such as Nagpur, Jalgaon, and Mumbai. In Ulhasnagar, which has been excluded from this scheme and has the state's largest Sindhi population, a separate policy will be introduced. The Revenue Department will implement the scheme, delivering justice to the Sindhi community, Bawankule said. Sindhis, who have been living in their colonies for several decades, had long been demanding that the government legally acknowledge their settlements. The issue has been discussed in the state Legislative Assembly and Council on several occasions in the past. In the aftermath of the Partition, a large number of Sindhi Hindus fled the Sindh region. At the time, it was estimated that 10 lakh Sindhi families migrated to India as refugees. To address their concerns, refugee colonies were set up by the government across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka and other states. These settlements became homes for the refugees who left behind in Pakistan their possessions and assets. Reeling in poverty, resettled Sindhis in India were forced to rebuild their lives from scratch. As per the 2011 Census, there are 28 lakh Sindhi language speakers in India. This figure excludes ethnic Sindhis who don't speak the language and some Kutchis who do not identify as ethnic Sindhis. At 7.2 lakh, Maharashtra has the second-largest Sindhi-speaking population after Gujarat at 11.8 lakh. The timing of the scheme is crucial as the state government wants to convey a strong message to the Sindhi community in Maharashtra. By granting property rights to Sindhu refugees, the BJP also wants to reinforce its commitment to Hindus. Secondly, the Mahayuti government also wants to make a distinction between Hindu Sindhi refugees and other migrants. While the drive against illegal Bangladeshis in the state has been debated since the 1990s, the Fadnavis government has decided to push it for the first time. 'Illegal Bangladeshis manage to get fake birth certificates and Aadhaar cards. They are being provided these documents by some local authorities and enjoy patronage of non-BJP politicians who want to use them for vote bank politics,' said state BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. The state government has directed district collectors to carry out anti-illegal immigration drives. It has also urged them to cancel fake birth certificates and other such documents, and submit them to the state revenue and health departments. Bawankule said, 'The Maharashtra government has decided to crack down against illegal Bangladeshis/Rohingyas. Through its special drive, the government will cancel 42 lakh fake certificates issued to illegal Bangladeshis till August 15.' He claimed that this figure may rise. The Opposition, while welcoming the government's decision to resettle Sindhi refugees, cautioned against the 'harassment' of the Muslim community in the name of an anti-illegal immigration drive. State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said, 'The BJP's politics is to divide and rule in the name of religion, caste and community. We are not against government action against illegal Bangladeshi migrants. But if it is used as a tool to harass Indian Muslim citizens, which is not acceptable.'
Mint
13 minutes ago
- Mint
Kerala Film Policy Conclave Day 1: Discussions on inclusivity, work load, online hate and more take centrestage
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 3 (ANI): In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the Kerala Film Policy Conclave in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday, August 2. Several leading voices from the Malayalam film industry came forward to take part in the conclave, including superstar Mohanlal. The first day of the event saw key discussions on the issues in the industry, focused on promoting inclusivity, safety, employment laws, working hours, legal safeguards and much more. State minister Saji Cherian, who was also present at the event, spoke to the media and shared details about the discussions at the conclave. Cherian noted that the first day of the Kerala Film Policy Conclave concluded successfully with the participation of many prominent personalities and five panels. Some of the key issues that were actively discussed during the conclave were on "defined working hours, employment laws, work overload, and job security. There was also a strong suggestion that both male and female representatives must be present in grievance redressal cells. Discussions at the conclave strongly raised the demand for legal safeguards against online hate and cyberattacks. There was also a call to form a state-level jury for selecting films for various film festivals." Cherian also spoke about a public demand to reduce the cost of food items sold in theatres. "The entire film industry should not be seen as problematic. The issues we witness are isolated incidents. Once the policy framework is in place, stricter measures will be adopted wherever necessary," he added. The Kerala Chief Minister also shared an update from the conclave, stating that the initiative marked a significant step in shaping the future of Malayalam cinema. Speaking at the event, the CM reiterated his thoughts on the 71st National Film Awards, calling out the recognition of Adah Sharma's 'The Kerala Story.' The film received the Best Director and Best Cinematographer awards. (ANI)
New Indian Express
13 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Madras HC: Remand orders against BJP lawyers' wing secy illegal
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has held illegal the remand orders issued by the respective judicial magistrates in Coimbatore and Thirukazhukundram against advocate D Alexis Sudhakar, the state secretary of BJP's lawyers wing. Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan passed the orders recently on the criminal revision petitions filed by Sudhakar who was arrested on the charges of possession of weapons and cheating. Senior counsel Abudu Kumar Rajaratnam, appearing for Sudhakar, submitted that he was falsely implicated in a series of criminal cases by the police out of political vendetta and was arrested last year. The remand orders issued by the judicial magistrates were arbitrary and in violation of Article 22 (1) of the Constitution which guarantees the right to be informed of the grounds of arrest and the right to consult and be defended by a lawyer of one's choice. He also submitted that mandatory statutory safeguards including service of ground and reasons of arrest and intimation to family members were disregarded by the police officers while arresting Sudhakar. Justice Ilanthiraiyan held that a perusal of the arrest memo reveals the ground arrest and reasons for arrest were not stated. That apart, there is no record to show the petitioner's family was informed of the arrest. The non-compliance of the mandatory provisions is a clear violation, the judge said in the order. He held the remand itself is illegal when the petitioner was not informed of the reasons and the grounds for the arrest.
