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In a blistering attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegation that the BJP wants to take back reservations to backward sections if elected for a third term, Union Home Minister said on Sunday that the former was only trying to mislead people.
Shah said had the BJP been working towards taking back reservations to backward sections, it would have done it by this time. Speaking to ANI on Sunday, the Union Home Minister reaffirmed that as long as the BJP-led NDA was in power, there would be no rethink on reservations or quotas to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. "Rahul Gandhi is trying to mislead people by spreading canards against us. The BJP has been at the helm of this country for 10 years now and was elected with absolute majority twice. If we had, indeed, been working with the intention or motivation to put an end to reservations in the country, it would have happened by now. These are nothing but lies. Narendra Modi-ji has already assured the Dalits, backward classes, and our tribal brothers and sisters across the country that as long as the BJP is in power, no one can dare take back reservations," Shah told ANI. Accusing the Congress of targeting the quotas allocated for the SCs, STs and OBCs, the Union Home Minister added, "After coming to power in Karnataka, the Congress announced a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims. Don't the people know from whose quota they set aside 4 per cent reservation for the minority community? In a similar ploy after coming to power in Telangana, they announced a 5 per cent reservation for Muslims. The Congress has always stood against reservation for backward sections and never demonstrated any genuine intent to deliver justice to the tribal communities." "Even at the Jamia Millia Islamia and the Aligarh Muslim University today, students from SCs, STs and OBCs are being denied the benefits of reservation. It was PM Modi who worked to provide justice to our tribal brothers and sisters by putting Draupadi Murmu in the country's highest office (President)," the Union Home Minister said. Earlier, on Friday, Rahul claimed that Prime Minister Modi wants to alter the country's Constitution and take away the reservations and other rights of the backward communities, Adivasis and Dalits. "Before the country achieved independence and the Constitution was adopted, Rajas and Maharajas lorded over us. However now, our Constitution guarantees certain rights and reservations for the backward communities, Adivasis, and Dalits," Rahul said at a rally in Karnataka's Bijapur. "Narendra Modi wants to wreck and destroy the Constitution as we know it. His MPs said openly that if they win a fresh term at the Centre, they will change the Constitution. The Congress and its INDIA partners are fighting to save our Constitution," he added. (ANI)
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