Maharashtra Congress promised Muslim body 10% quota, RSS ban: BJP

The BJP has claimed that the Maharashtra unit of Congress has assured a Muslim body that it will take steps to fulfil its demands, including a 10 per cent quota in jobs and education, and a ban on the RSS if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is voted to power in the state.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi on Saturday (November 9), senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the All India Ulama Board (AIUB) has written to MVA leaders offering its conditional support in the Maharashtra assembly elections.

BJP’s claims

“In its letter, the organisation has said that if Nana Patole (Congress), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT), Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP) and other parties want their support, they will have to fulfil their demands, which include opposition to Waqf Bill, 10 per cent reservation to Muslims in jobs and education...,” he claimed.

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It has also demanded a ban on the RSS if the MVA is voted to power in Maharashtra, Prasad claimed, terming the organisation’s demands as “divisive and a charter for the disintegration of the country”.

What is “painful” here is that the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, in its reply to the organisation, has assured that it will “definitely” take steps to fulfil their demands if voted to power in Maharashtra, the BJP leader claimed.

BJP opposes “disruptive demands”

“We vehemently oppose such disruptive demands. We will never let them be implemented,” he said, adding that the BJP will also “expose the so-called INDIA coalition” before the people and show that they can go to any extent for votes.

Prasad said Muslims cannot be given a 10 per cent quota based on religion, as it is not permissible under the Constitution.

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If a 10 per cent quota is given to Muslims on other grounds, it will slash the existing share in reservations meant for the OBCs, SCs and STs, he said, and asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi if it is acceptable to them.

Attack on Uddhav, Pawar

Flaying Shiv Sena (UBT) on the issue, Prasad said, “It’s no more the Shiv Sena founded and led by the late Bala Saheb Thackeray. It’s now an organisation out to grab power by making all compromises.”

He said the RSS is a nationalist organisation that has done “historic work” in the service of the nation and society, and slammed Uddhav Thackeray.

“What has happened to you, Uddhav Thackeray? You forgot your own legacy. Balasaheb Thackeray had struggled so much against these things… You are his son. We vehemently condemned it. It's very painful because we were once together,” the BJP leader said as he accused Uddhav of deviating from his party’s original ideology.

Prasad also took on Sharad Pawar, asking why he was silent on the issue. “You are a seasoned player. I know you understand the Constitution. You are 80-plus and you command a lot of respect there. Did you explain to them that it’s not possible (to fulfil AIUB’s demands)?... How far will you go for votes?” he said.

(With agency inputs)