Amit Shah Critiques Congress on OBC Quota, UCC, and Allegations of 'Muslim Reservation'

New Delhi, Dec 18 (NationPress) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday unleashed a fierce critique of the Congress party regarding its position on reservation for Other Backward Classes, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and the Muslim Personal Law, among other significant topics during the ongoing Winter session of Parliament in Rajya Sabha.

The Union Minister was addressing a debate in Rajya Sabha commemorating 75 years of the Constitution of India when he directed sharp comments at the historic party.

In Rajya Sabha, Shah declared that the BJP would firmly oppose reservation based on religion, irrespective of its political strength.

"Congress aims to extend reservations for Muslims by increasing the quota limit beyond 50 percent. Even if the BJP has just one MP, we will not permit religion-based reservations," he stated emphatically.

During his address, Shah raised critical questions about Congress's procrastination on implementing the UCC, attributing the delay to the introduction of the Muslim Personal Law under India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

"Why hasn’t the UCC been established yet? Its delay is due to the fact that after the Constituent Assembly concluded and elections were held, Nehru Ji introduced the Muslim Personal Law instead of the UCC. I ask the Congress party in this House whether there should be a common law for all religions in a secular nation or not? Why do they advocate for the Muslim Personal Law? This is a significant political maneuver... They initiated appeasement at that moment by introducing the Muslim Personal Law," Shah remarked.

Continuing his critique, he questioned, "Why wasn’t Sharia incorporated into criminal law? There are personal laws for marriage and inheritance, but why not for criminal law?"

Shah highlighted the government's achievements by referencing the implementation of the UCC in Uttarakhand, stating that it is set to be adopted nationwide following constitutional evaluation and public discussions.

"We executed the UCC in Uttarakhand, and we desire to adhere to the democratic process. It will undergo constitutional scrutiny. Discussions will occur at the societal level and insights from religious experts will be considered," he mentioned.

He expressed confidence that the Modi government would consider all recommendations and introduce the UCC across every state.

Shah also criticized the Congress for its inconsistencies regarding OBC reservations, accusing them of obstructing the Kaka Saheb Kalelkar Commission's report, which suggested OBC reservations in 1995.

"Where is its report? It was neglected because OBCs would have benefited from reservations. Any report must be presented to the Cabinet, but rather than bringing it to Parliament, it was archived," Shah said, adding that the report’s dismissal hindered the execution of the Mandal Commission recommendations.

The senior BJP figure responded to Rahul Gandhi's recent comments about Veer Savarkar, stating that Savarkar was the only individual to receive a life sentence twice, urging him to contemplate Indira Gandhi's commendation of Savarkar on two separate occasions.

"If you won’t heed our words, at least listen to Indira Gandhi, who praised him on two occasions," Shah remarked.

He urged all political factions to dissociate "patriotism, bravery, sacrifice, and service" from religion and political ideology.

The Union Home Minister did not hesitate to condemn the Congress's historical actions, including the 39th Amendment and the Emergency period. He cited the Allahabad High Court's ruling that invalidated Indira Gandhi's election in 1975.

"The 49th Amendment in the Constitution exceeded all limits. August 10, 1975, was a dark day. The Allahabad High Court declared Indira Gandhi's elections null and void. This Amendment was exploited to undermine the High Court's ruling, and a retrospective amendment was introduced to prevent any judicial inquiries against the Prime Minister," he continued.

Shah appealed to the Congress to abandon the practices of "appeasement, dynastic politics, and corruption", asserting that the public will decide their leadership in the upcoming elections if they do so.

Regarding Congress's accusations against the EVMs, he remarked, "When they lose, they blame the EVMs. The Supreme Court has dismissed the plea against the EVM 24 times. The Election Commission kept the EVM open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for three days for anyone to demonstrate if it could be hacked. No one appeared... They lost in Maharashtra and triumphed in Jharkhand on the same day. The people of Maharashtra penalized them for disrespecting their previous mandate. On that same day, they blamed the EVM in Maharashtra while preparing for the swearing-in ceremony in Jharkhand.

He also addressed Rahul Gandhi's "Mohabbat ki dukaan" slogan from the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, responding, "Love isn’t merchandise to be sold, nor is it a means for propaganda. Love is an emotion that dwells in the heart and is intended to be shared with others."

Regarding the abrogation of Article 370, Home Minister Shah stated, "When Narendra Modi returned as Prime Minister in 2019, we abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A in Parliament. In Rajya Sabha, they (Congress) predicted that rivers of blood would flow in Jammu and Kashmir, yet no one even dared to throw stones... (After the abrogation of Article 370).

He underscored the advancements in the Union Territory, stating, "For the first time, 35,000 members of Panchayat were elected. Following the abrogation of Article 370, over two lakh tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir, terrorist activities decreased by 92 percent, and reservations were provided to the Pahari, Gujjar, and Bakarwal communities, the national flag is flying at Lal Chowk, and the highest railway arch bridge is being constructed on the Chenab river... After the abrogation of Article 370, your (Congress) appeasement politics have come to an end.