The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) locked horns in the Parliament on Monday over Muslim reservation in Karnataka. Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned in the pre-lunch session without transacting any business as treasury and opposition benches sparred over the issue of reservations for Muslims in Karnataka public contracts.
Mallikarjun Kharge said, "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." Union Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to it and said, "Raising the issue of Muslim reservation, Congress has sullied the prestige of Babasaheb Ambedkar's Constitution. If you have guts, demand the resignation of Deputy CM today itself."
Reacting to Kharge, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Today, both the Houses of Parliament – Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha – had to be adjourned on a very serious issue. The NDA party has taken very serious note of the statement given by a senior Congress leader who is holding a constitutional position, and he has clearly stated that the reservation in contracts for the Muslims is a step towards providing reservation and other facilities to the Muslim community, and for that, he has clearly stated that the Constitution of India would be changed. His statement is very clear. They want to give reservation to the Muslim community by changing the Constitution of India. Please remember one thing: the Muslim representation and reservation issue was rejected in 1947 when the Muslim League brought this matter to the Constituent Assembly for providing reservation to the Muslim community."
"Our Constitution is secular; there can be reservation on the basis of economic and social criteria, but there cannot be reservation on the basis of religious identity and affiliation. By amending the Constitution, the person has committed a fraud on the Constitution of India. I had sought the position of Congress party and Congress party president, who is the LoP in Rajya Sabha, and he must tell on the Floor of the House whether they are going to sack the person holding a constitutional position or they are going to state clearly that Congress will destroy the Constitution of India."
Amid slogan shouting, mostly by the ruling side, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.
BJP MPs started moving into the aisle, raising slogans, just as the House met for the day. Dhankhar gave Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju the floor to speak on what they were agitating about.
Rijiju said a senior Congress leader who holds a constitutional post has said the party will change the Constitution to provide reservation to Muslims. Though he did not name the leader, he was apparently referring to DK Shivakumar. "We cannot take this statement lightly," the minister said, adding that the statement has not come from any ordinary party leader but from someone holding a constitutional post.
Stating that it is "extremely serious", he said changing the Constitution to provide religion-based reservation "cannot be tolerated". Congress leaders carry the Constitution book in their pockets but are doing everything to undermine it, he said.
When Dhankhar asked what he and his party wanted, Rijiju said the Congress president should make the party position clear and "tell the House and the nation why Congress wants to change the Constitution to provide reservation to Muslims".
Leader of the House and Union minister Jagat Prakash Nadda alleged that Congress was shredding the Constitution to pieces. Ambedkar, while framing the Indian Constitution, clearly stated that "reservation will not be done on the basis of religion. This is an accepted principle of the Constitution of India," he said.