Hubballi, Apr 26 (IANS): The BJP is committed to its stand of cancelling reservations for Muslims in Karnataka, former Chief Minister and NJP candidate from the Haveri Lok Sabha constituency, Basavaraj Bommai, said on Friday.
He told reporters here that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was telling lies, that too about court proceedings. So far, the CM hasn't disclosed whether his government would cancel the reservation for Muslims or not in court.
"Whatever the previous BJP government ordered, the same matter had been taken to the Supreme Court by Ravivarma Kumar, a follower of Siddaramaiah. CM Siddaramaiah was behind this move. Subsequently, time was sought in court proceedings for which they have agreed,” he said.
“There is no change in our stand. It is not known whether the current state government will continue it or not. But the Congress party had opposed it long ago," Bommai said.
Bommai said Dr B.R.Ambedkar has clearly stated in the Constitution that there would be no religion based reservation. Despite that around 24 sub-sects in the Muslim community had been in 2A category of reservation.
The Supreme Court didn't approve when a similar exercise was carried out in Andhra Pradesh. But now the present Congress government had a different argument when it came to them, he stated.
Commenting on MCA student Neha Hiremath's murder on a college campus in Hubballi recently, Bommai claimed the probe into the case has gone off track.
If the state government doesn't have any intentions of protecting anyone, the case must be referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said Bommai, who met the victim's family on Friday.
"The Congress tried to deviate from the probe but it was foiled by the opposition parties. A lot of people were behind this conspiracy and it has been disclosed by Neha's parents," Bommai claimed.
"The family wants the matter to be probed by the CBI. The state government has washed its hands off it by referring it to the CID. This case must not be hushed up to protect anyone," Bommai added.
Asked about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accusing the opposition parties of politicising the murder, Bommai sought to know whether the opposition parties must keep quiet if a murder takes place on a college campus? Did the Congress party keep quiet while it was in the Opposition? How can the CM expect them to be quiet? The entire state has been shaken by this incident and pontiffs and students have been joining the protest. Are they doing politics?