New Delhi, Mar 25: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Tuesday came down heavily on the Congress for his “appeasement politics”, saying this is now going to the extent of suggesting amendment of the Constitution to please Muslims.
Taking strong exception to the alleged remarks made by Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar declaring that the Congress would even amend the Constitution to provide reservations for Muslims in government tenders, Chugh said it was deplorable the way the Congress is trying to create a communal divide.
Questioning the silence of Gandhi family on the matter, the BJP leader demanded that the Congress leadership clarify if it will immediately sack such a person or continue to shield them.
He took a jibe at Congress Chief Whip in Rajya Sabha Jairam Ramesh, who submitted breach of privilege notices against BJP leaders JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju and jumped to defend Shivakumar’s controversial statements made to appease the Gandhi family. “First, DK Shivakumar makes unconstitutional remarks to please the Gandhi family; then Jairam Ramesh shamelessly comes forward to defend him. Congress has become synonymous with blind servitude towards the Gandhi family,” he said.
Chugh said, “The Congress party’s politics of appeasement was initiated by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who reversed the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shah Bano case through Parliament solely to appease the Muslim community. This policy of appeasement continued with Manmohan Singh openly asserting that Muslims have the first claim on the nation’s resources. Congress leaders shamelessly carry photographs of Babasaheb Ambedkar and copies of the Constitution in their pockets, yet they don’t hesitate to tamper with the very essence of the Constitution for political gains.”
The BJP leader alleged that the Congress party’s policies have always been discriminatory towards Hindus, and this approach is unlikely to change in the future. “Congress governments, not only in Karnataka but also in Telangana, have been releasing crores of rupees for the welfare of the Muslims and have been secretly providing reservations to Muslims through backdoor entries by including them in reserved categories,” he alleged.
Chugh questioned Rahul Gandhi’s silence on this “serious issue”, especially since Gandhi often claims himself to be the guardian of the Constitution. “The Congress has consistently compromised national interests by prioritising appeasement. It was Congress that agreed to the partition of India on religious grounds, and even after that tragedy continued to govern based on religious appeasement,” he said.