Bengaluru: Facing a tough state election ahead and a strong ant-incumbency wave, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and right-wing Hindutva brigade are raking one issue after the other to hide the government's failure and polarise Hindu votes in their favour.
After Hijab ban and call to boycott Muslim traders and Halal food boomeranged, they are now raking reservation granted to Muslims and Christians as per the Constitution.
As per party insiders, the ruling BJP in Karnataka is "under huge pressure" to cancel Muslim and Christian reservations in the state under different categories in education and government services.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has said that whatever the government does, will be done constitutionally.
Sources in BJP say that the party is in full swing after declaration of enhancement of reservations for the Scheduled Castes (ST) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). The party is claiming it to be its achievement.
Now, different "community groups" are exerting pressure and right-wing Hindutva organisations are pressuring Chief Minister Bommai to take a "bold decision" in this regard.
Panchamasali Lingayat, Kuruba and other communities are claiming reservation under different categories and have launched agitations.
BJP MLA Arvind Bellad had openly stated that the reservation given to Muslims and Christians must be withdrawn and given to Hindu Other Backward Groups (OBC).
He maintained that the constitution provides caste-based reservation and does not provide religion based reservations. Now, the debate is on after CM Bommai's statement that his government would take decision as per the constitution.
The party is planning to cancel reservation to Muslims under 2A and 2B categories and provide the same to Panchamasali Lingayat community which is at loggerheads with ruling BJP government. The party leaders think that such a move would reap rich harvest of votes in the upcoming Assembly elections.
It would also polarise Hindu votes say party sources. Muslim community leaders have reacted sharply to the development and have warned the government not to get into the misadventure.
Former minister and Congress MLA U.T. Khader had stated that ruling BJP is doing everything possible to get votes. He has appealed that the reservation to Muslims should not be disturbed.
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