DK Shivakumar should be sacked: Union Minister Giriraj Singh

The Union Minister objected to the move of the Congress government in Karnataka for a four per cent quota for Muslims in public contracts.

"An attempt is being made to Islamize the country... (Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi should apologize to the country, and DK Shivakumar should be sacked," Giriraj Singh, who is Union Minister for Textiles, told ANI.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on Monday staged a protest against Shivakumar's reported comments relating to the Constitution.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday accused the BJP of resorting to "diversionary tactics" in Parliament to make allegations against Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar which he has denied and said the treasury benches have sought to "completely distort policy announcement of the Karnataka government".

Referring to the decision of Congress government to provide four per cent reservation to Muslims in public contracts, Jairam Ramesh said that reservation for the main minority community as part of OBCs was introduced in Karnataka in 2014 and there have been many chief ministers after that.

"He (Shivakumar) has denied. He was not in the Assembly. He has not made that statement and they have completely distorted the policy announcement of the Karnataka government. The reservations for minority communities based on being OBCs and based on socio-economic backwardness were introduced in September 1994, and since then, we've had a succession of Chief Ministers...This was a diversionary tactic," Jairam Ramesh told ANI.

"The Chairman had agreed with my request that we should have a debate on this shocking news that has come out of the Supreme Court and the conduct of Judge Yashwant Varma. But suddenly, the agenda got derailed. They came up with this Karnataka issue because there's no other issue...," the Congress leader added.

Shivakumar on Monday slammed the BJP over its protest on his purported remarks relating to the Constitution and said the party is trying to twist his remarks and he is consulting his legal team.

"I don't want to comment much on it. There is no hide and seek in this issue. On quota, there are several judgments which have come, and after every judgment, amendments have been made to the Constitution; there is nothing else. So they (BJP) are trying to twist it. They don't have any issues. I am happy that Jairam Ramesh has moved privilege motion. I am also consulting legal experts," the Karnataka Dy CM told ANI.

Earlier, speaking to reporters at his residence, Shivakaumar said he "never stated we would change the Constitution".

"The BJP is carrying out propaganda. I will fight it legally," he said.

Asked about the BJP's criticism of his remarks to a private TV channel on changing the Constitution, Shivakumar said the BJP is twisting his statement.

"I have been in public life for 36 years and have basic common sense. But the BJP is misleading people. My name is being dragged into BJP's disinformation campaign," he said.

"All I said was that there is a precedent for changing the Constitution based on the Court's orders. I have never said we will change the Constitution. The Congress is a national party that brought the Constitution in the first place. We understand its importance better than others. The Centre has failed the people in the recent Budget and is now trying to rake up other issues. This is part of the BJP's continued political conspiracy," he added.

Asked if the media had misrepresented his statement, he said, "there is nothing wrong with the media's reporting. The BJP has twisted my statements and is unnecessarily dragging my name into this."

Earlier today, ruckus erupted in Rajya Sabha over Shivakumar's remarks with BJP leaders alleging that he had talked of "changing the Constitution".

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju sought clarification from Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, regarding the Congress' position on reservation for Muslims.

He said Shivakumar's remarks were "extremely serious."

Kharge said that his party took up the Bharat Jodo Yatra across the country to protect the Constitution.

"Nobody can change the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Nobody can finish the reservation. To protect it, we did the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. They (points at NDA MPs) break India," Kharge said.

Rijiju also demanded resignation of Shivakumar. He said constitution framers were against religion-based reservation.

"If you have guts, take resignation of Deputy CM today itself," Rijiju said.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who is Leader of the House, also slammed Congress over Shivakumar's remarks.

"I am saying this with a lot of sadness, the way Congress claims to be a protector of the Constitution but the way they have tried to destroy it. Dr B R Ambedkar had himself said, that reservation would not be done on the basis of the Constitution. But in Karnataka, there is a talk of giving 4 per cent reservation in contracts," Nadda said.

The issue also figured in the Lok Sabha and both Houses faced adjournments. (ANI)