Delving into the ongoing political slugfest over faith-based reservation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has condemned “communal attacks” on the majority religion and affirmed the BJP’s commitment to existing reservation policies. In an interview with News18 Editor Zakka Jacob, Jaishankar highlighted the Congress party’s history of amending the Constitution and urged voters to consider the contrasting visions offered by the two parties.
Countering Congress’ allegation that BJP may change the Constitution in case of a majority in Lok Sabha polls, Jaishankar said “Why does the opposition, particularly the Congress party, talk about changing the Constitution? Because they have done it most of all. Eighty-odd amendments have been done by them. Whenever they had numbers, and we saw how they behaved during emergency (1975-77). So, in a sense, they think that because they behave in a certain way, other people will behave in that way. Sorry, we are not them.”
‘BJP committed to reservation’
On the issue of reservations, the external affairs minister underlined that the “BJP is committed to the practice, and tradition of reservations.” “A lot of it derives from the Constitution. Who are the people who have tried to change it? Who has taken away from OBC? Who has brought in religious faith as a criteria of reservation? Not the BJP, it is the Congress party. They’ve (opposition) attempted it, the courts have struck it down, they’re still trying it in Karnataka,” he said.
Jaishankar’s remarks came in the wake of the Calcutta High Court’s decision to strike down several classes as Other Backward Classes (OBC) under an Act of 2012 of West Bengal for reservation of vacancies in services and posts in the state, finding them illegal. Challenging faith-based reservation, Jaishankar argued the opposition has “used the minority argument to actually do away with the reservation argument.” “If anybody has threatened reservation, you can see the record. Bears it out. Now, if you are going to actually use, you know, advocate faith-based reservation, I am entitled to that and challenge it. That’s not being communal,” he added.
Alluding to a remark made by DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin last year on Sanatan Dharma, Jaishankar added, “I will tell you what is being communal.” “Attacking the majority religion, which is what we saw DMK doing, and everybody else going along with it, that is being communal. Attacking Ramakrishna Mission is being communal,” the minister said in reference to recent remarks made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who claimed that some monks were backing the BJP in the election. “…Let’s be straight. Here is attacking the majority religion of this country. Not being communal. Do you know, that because it is a majority religion, others are supposed to get a free pass? I think I have every right to contest that.”
‘Two ideas by Congress’
Jaishankar continued saying, “In this election, we’ve heard from, especially from Congress, two very important ideas, and the country needs to reflect on it.” “Idea number one, that you should have faith-based reservation, which obviously will be at the expense of currently existing reservation, and they have a track record to show them in it. Number two, they actually want to do this. I will assess assets across the country, and I, as the state, will have the right to redistribute it,” he said. Jaishankar said Rahul Gandhi is offering a vision of faith-based reservation and a vision of leftist redistribution, of the socialist policies that destroyed this country, which killed job creation in this country.
Jaishankar’s remarks came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on the Congress, accusing its top leaders, including first PM Jawaharlal Nehru, of having “opposed” reservations for deprived castes. “Had it not been for Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Nehru would have never agreed to quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs. Nehru had made his views clear on the issue in letters he wrote to the then chief ministers in the country”, claimed Modi at a rally in Purbi Champaran Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar.
“This has been the Congress’ trait under successive prime ministers. Be it, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi, they all opposed reservations. SCs, STs and OBCs have never got respect from the Congress”, the PM added. Modi made the allegation while lashing out at the opposition for spreading a “falsehood” that the BJP, upon return to power with a brute majority, could scrap quotas by changing the Constitution. Modi also charged the INDIA bloc with having plans to give reservation benefits “on the basis of religion”.
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