Salient points of press conference of BJP National Secretary and Spokesperson Shri Anil Antony

Salient points of Press Conference of BJP National Secretary and National Spokesperson Shri Anil Antony

Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji has led India with the vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas,” driving the nation towards Viksit Bharat by empowering 140 crore Indians

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BJP's mantra is empowerment for all, appeasement for none. In contrast, Congress, which ruled India for over 50 years, is discarding every credential it had on social justice

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Congress is transforming into a modern-day Muslim League, prioritizing appeasement over governance. Karnataka's Congress government is a prime example, unveiling a budget seemingly inspired by their new icon, Aurangzeb
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The BJP-led Karnataka government had scrapped the unconstitutional 4% Muslim-only reservation. However, once Congress regained power, it swiftly moved to reinstate it.
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The Siddaramaiah government's budget raises concerns of minority appeasement, with a ₹6,000 honorarium for imams.

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Additional funds have been allotted to construct a building at Haj Bhawan and 1000 crore plan under the Chief Minister’s minority colony development programme.

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The Siddaramaiah government allocated ₹150 crores for the development of Waqf properties and Kabristans in Karnataka and reintroduced 4% reservation for Muslims in government contracts under ₹2 crore, covering key departments like rural development, urban development, health, and public works

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This decision by the Karnataka government goes against the principles of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution, which strongly opposed reservations based on religious grounds

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's advocacy for a religion-based census and resource redistribution was echoed by a Karnataka minister recently, and the Siddaramaiah government has now made it a reality

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Does the minority community in Karnataka only mean the Muslim community? Why are reservations meant for OBCs, SCs, and STs being taken away to appease one particular community?

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Bharatiya Janata Party National Secretary & National Spokesperson Shri Anil Antony addressed a press conference at the party's central office on Friday. During the conference, Shri Antony slammed the Congress-led Karnataka budget, calling it a “Muslim League budget” inspired by their new icon, Aurangzeb. He accused Congress of transforming into a modern-day Muslim League, with Karnataka Congress as the prime example.

Shri Antony remarked that ever since our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji took office in 2014, he has governed the nation with the development mantra of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas." Under his leadership, the central government is steadfastly working to empower 140 crore Indians and propel the nation toward the goal of a Viksit Bharat. Our development mantra is empowerment for all, appeasement for none.  In contrast, the leading opposition party, the Indian National Congress, which once governed India for over 50 years, is slowly but surely discarding every credential it had on social justice. It is now evolving into a modern version of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s Muslim League. Karnataka’s state government has become a prime example of this appeasement politics. Just a couple of days ago, the Karnataka government released a budget that appears to be heavily inspired by their new icon, Aurangzeb.

BJP National Spokesperson Shri Antony stated that just a couple of years ago, in 2023, the BJP-led Karnataka government under Chief Minister Shri Basavaraj Bommai scrapped the unconstitutional 4% reservation that was exclusively reserved for the Muslim community. However, as soon as the Congress government returned to power in Karnataka the same year, efforts were made to reinstate it. The Constitution of India clearly states that reservations cannot be granted based on religion. This 4% quota was then redistributed equally, with 2% each allocated to the OBC communities—the Lingayat and Vokkaliga community under section 2C and section 2D. In August 2024, following their return to power, the Congress party moved to reverse previous decisions, with 12 Congress Muslim MPs petitioning the state government to reinstate a 4% reservation for the Muslim community under the OBC category 2B.  

Shri Antony pointed out that the budget released by the Siddaramaiah government has raised concerns about minority appeasement, including the allocation of ₹6,000 per month honorarium for imams. Additional funds have been allotted to construct a building at Haj Bhawan and 1000 crore plan under the Chief Minister’s minority colony development programme. Despite the Union government’s focus on securing citizens' constitutional property rights, with the Waqf Amendment Bill already passed by the Upper House and awaiting approval in the Lower House, the Siddaramaiah government has allocated ₹150 crores for the development of Waqf properties and Kabristans in Karnataka. This comes at a time when Karnataka has around 1 lakh acres of Waqf properties, with nearly 85,000 acres under dispute due to encroachment allegations.

BJP National Spokesperson Shri Antony stated that in the latest budget, the Karnataka government has allocated an additional ₹150 crores for the Waqf Board and announced the reintroduction of the 4% reservation for the Muslim community in government contracts under ₹2 crores covering key departments such as rural development, urban development, health, and public works. This move deviates from the principles of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution, where he completely opposed reservations based on religious grounds. While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has long advocated for a religion-based census and redistribution of resources based on religion, a Karnataka minister echoed the same sentiments just two days ago, and the Siddaramaiah government has now ensured that it becomes a reality. The Bharatiya Janata Party would like to ask the Siddaramaiah government why there is so much appeasement. Does the minority community in Karnataka only mean the Muslim community? Why are reservations meant for OBCs, SCs, and STs being taken away to appease one particular community? The Bharatiya Janata Party asked the state government to reverse these blatantly appeasement-driven actions in Karnataka.

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