"Deserves all criticism": BJP MP Khandelwal slams Karnataka's 4% minority quota

"It is quite a strange thing. Will the Karnataka Government try to clarify whether the other communities in their state, who also need social and economic upliftment, will be given reservations in the same manner? Focusing only on one community and neglecting the rest of the public, the Karnataka Government's mindset deserves all the criticism it receives," Khandelwal told ANI.

The Karnataka Cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act that provides a four-percent reservation in tenders to Muslim contractors.

The decision was made on Friday in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Cabinet Hall of the Vidhan Sabha. Official sources added that the amendment will be made after the KTPP act is tabled in the ongoing Assembly session.

The Cabinet has approved the presentation of the obedience in the same session, likely on Monday.

Earlier, on March 7, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah confirmed that four per cent of public works contracts will now be reserved for Muslims under a category called Category-II B while presenting the Karnataka government's Budget.

Reservation will be provided in the procurement of goods and services under various government departments, corporations, and institutions for suppliers belonging to SC, ST, Category-I, Category-II A, and Category-II B, up to Rs 1 crore, in which Category-II B refers to Muslims.

Reacting to the move, party leader Mahesh Tenginkai accused the Congress-led government of engaging in "appeasement politics."

"Since Congress came to power in the state, they are doing this appeasement politics. Those who pelted stones at police in Hubballi, Congress released them. They have done many such things," BJP leader Tenginkai told ANI.

Similarly, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also came out heavily against the Karnataka government's decision to grant four per cent reservation for Muslim contractors in government projects, calling it "appeasement politics" of the Congress and warning about its "nationwide implications." (ANI)