Appeasement politics of Congress will weaken national unity: BJP

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (March 15, 2025) said the “appeasement politics” of Congress, the latest example of which was the “unconstitutional” decision of the Karnataka government to provide 4% reservation to Muslims in government contracts, would weaken national unity.

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At a press conference, senior BJP spokesperson and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wondered why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been making frequent trips to Vietnam. “He is in Vietnam during Holi and was there during the New Year as well,” he said.

‘Vote bank politics’

The BJP leader alleged that the Siddaramaiah-led government in Karnataka decided to provide 4% reservation to the Muslims in government contracts at the behest of Mr. Gandhi, who wanted the Congress to lead the ongoing “competitive vote bank politics” among the Opposition parties.

“This reservation in Karnataka has been extended under the full patronage and approval of Mr. Gandhi. Mr. Siddaramaiah does not have the courage nor the political capital to announce it on his own,” said Mr. Prasad, stating that it would be challenged in the court.

“Although such issues seem small, but added together they have national implications…during the freedom movement, ‘small issues’ were raised…they demanded their own university, own education, separate voting. All that ultimately led to the division of India. ‘Small’ issues become big in this manner. The way the Congress party is setting new standards every day in this competitive vote bank politics and Muslim appeasement politics is a threat to the country,” he said, also flagging the issue of attacks on Hindu temples in West Bengal.

“How far will this appeasement politics go? Will there be a limit to this? Will there be a separate line for Muslims from now on? Will there be reservation for buying railway and cinema tickets?…they have lost so many times, still they do not understand, this shows how big is the grip of the vote bank politics on them. The BJP will opposite it (move to provide 4% reservation)…because religion-based reservation is not permitted under the Indian Constitution,” he said. Reservation could be given to OBCs in the Muslim community, the BJP leader pointed out.

Accusing Mr. Gandhi of having said during a visit to the U.S. visit that the Muslim League was a secular party, he said: “There are two streams in this country. One stream is of Maulana Azad [first Union Education Minister], Abdul Hamid [Param Vir Chakra awardee], A.P.J. Abdul Kalam [who became the President of India during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government], Rahim, Raskhan, Malik Muhammad Jayasi, freedom fighter Ashfaqulla Khan…and the other is of those who practice Jinnah’s politics,” said the BJP leader. He said the Narendra Modi government has named one of the Andaman and Nicobar islands after Abdul Hamid.

“…their vote bank politics also weakens the voice of those Muslims who have worked to take the country forward and we want that voice to be strengthened,” said Mr. Prasad. He also cited a B.R. Ambedkar speech purportedly criticising the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress party, and accusing him of not speaking about the welfare of Scheduled Castes.

In that particular speech, according to the BJP leader, Dr. Ambedkar had said: “…Pandit Nehru is always for Muslims. I do not want that Muslims should be neglected, but I do want that Muslims should not enjoy at the expense of the other communities…”