The BJP on Thursday accused the Opposition INDIA bloc of indulging in appeasement politics, a day after the Calcutta High Court invalidated the Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates granted by the West Bengal government after 2010.
The party claimed that the people of India would give a fitting reply to the Opposition’s politics.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP’s national headquarters in New Delhi, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan flagged a statement by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that her government would appeal the verdict and said that the High Court’s verdict was a “tight slap” on those pursuing vote bank politics.
“Appeasement is the dose and diet of parties like the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. Without this, they cannot survive even a day,” he said. He added that Ms. Banerjee had pursued vote bank politics and gave OBC certificates to a number of castes and the beneficiaries included Muslims, Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.
“The Calcutta High Court’s decision in the matter that came on Wednesday was a tight slap on Ms. Banerjee’s vote bank politics,” he said.
The Calcutta High Court had, on Wednesday struck down as illegal the OBC status of several classes in West Bengal granted since 2010. The court observed that the inclusion of 77 classes of Muslims in the list was to “treat them as vote bank.”
“What does Mamata Banerjee think of herself? Is she above the Constitution? This is the height of arrogance and anarchy,” he charged. The BJP leader said that Ms Bannerjee had no right to continue to hold the post of Chief Minister who provided reservation on the basis of religion in violation of the Constitution.
Flags Mr. Gandhi’s statements
Mr. Chouhan also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the statements he made in Panchkula on Wednesday. Mr. Gandhi had said that he was aware that system was heavily aligned against marginalised castes and that his party would work to ensure the participation of these communities in public life and resources.
“Rahul Gandhi accepted this truth yesterday,” Mr. Chouhan said. “The Congress has always snatched away the rights of the Dalits, OBCs and tribals. The Congress-ruled States including Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have committed the crime and sin of robbing the rights of OBC by providing reservation to minorities from their shares,” he charged.
He alleged that while the Congress did not give Constitutional status to the OBC Commission for about 40 years, its government committed the “sin” of ending the reservation for Dalits, OBCs and tribals in the educational institutions like the Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi.
“Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar once said at Rally in Punjab that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru did not do anything for Dalits and backwards. Such has been the mindset of the Congress since the beginning,” he said.
Mr. Chouhan said, “The BJP will not allow this conspiracy to go on. People are seeing the truth as the INDI alliance’s policy of appeasement stands exposed. Now people will reply to it. The BJP will form its government by winning 370 seats on its own and the NDA will get more than 400 seats (in the Lok Sabha polls).”
