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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar defended Karnataka state cabinet passing a bill granting a four per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts and said that it was done to protect the backward class people.
DK Shivakumar said, "We are protecting all the backward class people." Earlier, BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Saturday criticized Karnataka's decision to amend the KTPP Act to provide 4 per cent reservation in tenders for minority contractors, claiming it is a move to gain Muslim votes. Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, "Congress believes in the politics of appeasement, Divide and Rule. At the direction of Rahul Gandhi, the play staged by Karnataka Congress leaders clearly shows that to gain Muslim votes, a 4 per cent reservation is being given in government contracts." He claimed that the Karnataka government's decision to provide 4 per cent reservation to minority contractors is against the law and added that they will have to face consequences. "This is against the law, and they would also have to face the consequences. Congress has not learnt anything even after so many defeats," Thakur said. The Karnataka state cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, which aims to provide 4 per cent reservation in tenders to Minority contractors. The decision was taken on March 14 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. However, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has clarified that the state government's decision to provide a four per cent reservation in government contracts is not exclusive to Muslims but extends to "all minority communities and backward classes." (ANI)
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