Reservation will not be abolished under any circumstances: Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh

Amid the ongoing row over reservation, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday accused the opposition of instilling fear in minorities that reservation will be taken back if the BJP retains power, reported news agency ANI.

He said that under any circumstances, the BJP will never end reservation. Addressing an election rally in Lucknow on Wednesday, Rajnath Singh said, "Efforts are being made to create various misconceptions about our government. It is being said that if the BJP government is formed, then reservation will be abolished."

"I want to say that our party will form the government, and we will not end reservation under any circumstances. They are trying to defame us by saying that if we come back to power, reservations will be given based on religion. Our constitution does not allow this," the Defence Minister said, reported ANI.

Slamming the opposition, Singh said, "Those who did reservations on the basis of religion were these people. They (Opposition) tried to bring reservation in Jamia Millia University and Aligarh University, which was abated by the Supreme Court. They just want to instill fear among the minorities," reported ANI.

Singh's clarification comes days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that if the BJP comes to power, "it will increase the reservation of SC, ST, and OBC and will end the Muslim reservation."

"Congress wants to fight elections by speaking lies. They say that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes, he will finish the reservation. Prime Minister Modi has been leading this country unanimously for the last 10 years, but he did not end the reservation. However, the Congress party has robbed the reservations of SC, ST and OBC by giving 4 per cent reservation to Muslims," Shah had said while addressing a public rally in Telangana's Bhongir on May 9, reported ANI.

Earlier in an interview with Times Now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the poor in the country include all Hindus, Christians, and Parsis and all should get the benefits of reservations. "I have never said that Muslims won't get reservations. All I'm saying is that religion cannot be the base of providing reservation. Poor in the country include all Hindus, Christians, and Parsis; all should get the benefits of reservations. Dalits and Tribals for long have faced injustice for thousands of years, and there is a special reason that the makers of our constitution have taken the right decision, and we are grateful for that. No political party opposes this," the PM said, reported ANI.

When asked about the dangers associated with when it comes to allowing reservations based on religion to Muslims, PM Modi said that the maker of the Constitution, after a lengthy discussion during its drafting, decided that reservation based on religion would be detrimental to society and would not be good for the long term.

(With inputs from ANI)