New Delhi: The Karnataka government’s move to pass a legislation providing for 4% reservation for Muslims in public contracts echoed in parliament on Monday (March 24) with the Treasury benches accusing the Congress – which is in power in the state – and the state’s deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar of seeking to change the constitution to provide religion-based reservations.
The Rajya Sabha saw repeated adjournments, as the opposition accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of raking up a false issue, with Congress MP and the party’s chief whip in the House also moving a breach of privilege notice against Union parliamentary minister Kiren Rijiju for “misleading the house”.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Rijiju had “blatantly misled the House by attributing some false statements purportedly made by D.K. Shivakumar, deputy chief minister of Karnataka.”
“It is well established that it is a breach of privilege and contempt of the House to make false and misleading statements in the House,” the notice said, requesting initiating privilege proceedings against the minister.
When House proceedings started on Monday, Rijiju rose to make a statement on the issue.
“It is not our intention to disrupt zero hour. Why I am standing here is because of an important and sensitive issue. The members of the NDA have met me and raised this issue. One of the senior member of the Congress party, who is holding a constitution post has made a statement that they’re going to change the constitution of India to provide reservation in contract work to Muslim community. We cannot take this statement cannot be taken lightly,” he said.
“Since this statement has come from a person who is holding a constitutional office and in a very clear term he has said Congress party will provide Muslim community, it is a serious matter. It is an assault on the constitution provided by Babasaheb Ambedkar,” Rijiju added.
Also read: NDA Ally JD (S) to Not Support BJP in its Protest Against 4% Quota For Muslims in Karnataka
The minister said he wanted a statement from the leader of opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Rijiju’s statement led to an uproar in the House, leader of the House and Union minister J.P. Nadda too rose and referred to the Karnataka government’s Bill and alleged that Shivakumar had said that “if necessary we will change the constitution.”
“They talk about protecting the Constitution, they want to tear the Constitution apart. I want such laws and rules should be withdrawn and the Congress president and leader of opposition should answer this question,” said Nadda.
Kharge who was then given an opportunity by the Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar to speak said, that “no one can end reservations in this country.”
“To protect it we have done Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Those who tear apart the Constitution they are talking about protecting the constitution,” said Kharge.
“We are the ones protecting the Indian Constitution,” said Kharge amid uproar in the House as Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till noon.
Shivakumar in a statement mentioned that he will take breach of privilege action against the BJP leaders as he was being misquoted.
“I am sensible, senior politician than Mr Nadda. I have been in the Assembly since last 36 years. I have basic common sense. I have not said that there will be any changes in the constitution,” he said.
“I have said casually that there will be so many changes after various judgments. Whatever quota has been given has been given as per backward classes. I have not said that we are going to change the Constitution. Whatever they are quoting is wrong. They are miscarrying it. We are a national party, we know what constitution is. We have brought Constitution to this country. I will take breach of privilege on this. I will fight a case; they are misquoting me,” he added.
Rijiju later also raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, while opposition members in the Rajya Sabha accused the BJP of stooping to a new low.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien said that it was a “new low” that the Treasury benches were disrupting the house. When the Rajya Sabha reconvened at 2 pm, Kharge said that it was the BJP which had made statements about changing the constitution.
“Such comments come from the other side. Hasn’t (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat said it? At any cost, we will save the Constitution. They are saying this to suppress the issue of cash found at a judge’s residence,” he said referring to the allegations that an unspecified amount of unaccounted cash was seen at an outhouse/store room in the residential compound of a senior Delhi high court judge, Justice Yashwant Verma.
Amid sloganeering in the House, Nadda said that it was not just the Karnataka government but the Congress government in Telangana had also cleared a legislation to provide reservations for Muslims. The House was then adjourned for fifteen minutes but when it reconvened sloganeering started again leading proceedings to be adjourned for the day.
Earlier in the day the Lok Sabha also saw two adjournments on the issue in the morning but resumed proceedings in the afternoon.
