BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad slams Congress on demand for 10 percent Muslim reservation

New Delhi [India], November 9 (ANI): BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's stance on the Constitution and criticised the Congress party's approach towards religious reservations, specifically for Muslims.
Prasad expressed concerns over Congress's alleged willingness to consider a 10 per cent reservation demand for Muslims, stating it contradicts constitutional principles.
"Rahul Gandhi always talks about the Constitution," Prasad said. "Religion-based reservation is not permissible under the Constitution...Rahul Gandhi, the BJP would like to know because any reservation on religious grounds is prohibited. How does your President of Maharashtra Congress, Nana Patole, tell the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind that we will consider their demand for a 10% reservation for Muslims?" Prasad questioned and added that Congress was "crossing all limits of Constitutional propriety and political propriety to get votes to defeat the BJP and NDA."
Prasad then underlined that he first wanted to address Rahul Gandhi directly on the matter. He highlighted Gandhi's consistent emphasis on the Constitution while suggesting that Gandhi is disregarding certain Constitutional rules. "I have nothing to discuss with Nana Patole; first, I need to speak to Rahul Gandhi. He preaches about the Constitution daily, carrying it around as if it's a sacred book," BJP's Delhi MP said.

Prasad referred to the Indra Sawhney case, a notable Supreme Court ruling involving the Mandal Commission, which asserted that religion-based reservations are not allowed under the Constitution. Quoting from the case, he said, "If Rahul Gandhi truly needs enlightenment, he should refer to the famous Indra Sawhney case, which was a nine-judge Supreme Court decision on the Mandal Commission. I am reading the conclusion from paragraph 323, which states that the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, or sex." Prasad added that while provisions exist for socially and educationally backward groups, a specific restriction exists for religious-based reservations, which was confirmed by the Supreme Court's nine-judge bench.
Prasad then questioned Congress's motives, asking if Nana Patole acted independently or with the party's support in raising the demand for Muslim reservations. "How much more will you break the nation just for the sake of votes? Does Nana Patole make these statements on his own, or with your consent?"
The BJP MP further pointed out that Congress had allegedly allied with the Popular Front of India (PFI) during the Karnataka elections, suggesting that the party disregards Constitutional values for political gain. He added, "The Congress Party is crossing all limits of constitutional propriety and political decency to get votes to defeat BJP and divide the nation. Yet, they go around giving lectures on the Constitution, without understanding its essence or limits on fundamental rights."(ANI)