‘Lied to Parliament’: Kharge attacks Nadda & Rijiju amid row over quota, DK Shivakumar’s Constitution remark | India News
NEW DELHI: After a massive showdown in Parliament with BJP over Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s remark, Congress chief Malliakarjun Kharge on Monday said he would take legal action against JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju for making a “false claim”.
Kharge also claimed the BJP has been bringing up the Karnataka quota issue to “hide its corruption”.
“JP Nadda and Kiren Rijiju have lied to the Parliament, and we are preparing to take action against them. They claimed that Congress is providing reservation on the basis of religion which is completely false. BJP is the one which is making laws on the basis of religion. We have never provided reservation to anyone on the basis of religion. Our leaders, Sardar Patel and Pandit Nehru, never touched upon this issue in the Constituent Assembly, but the BJP is raising this issue to hide its corruption,” Kharge was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Parliament on Monday witnessed multiple adjournments amid ruckus between the BJP and the Congress leaders over Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar’s reported remarks about “changing the Constitution”.
A heated argument erupted between leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and BJP president JP Nadda in Rajya Sabha with the latter questioning Karnataka government’s 4% reservation move to minorities while allotting contracts for work in the state.
Slamming the move, BJP president JP Nadda questioned Congress’s “save the Constitution” rhetoric. “Ye Ambedkar ke rakhwaale bante hain (These people claim to be saviours of Ambedkar),” he said, adding, “Sardar Patel and Ambedkar had said that reservation in the name of religion will noy take place.” Kharge made it clear that “no such statement was made by the Karnataka minister”.
“Nobody talked about changing the Constitution, and no one from our side would talk about changing the Constitution. Such claims are always made from that side,” Kharge said pointing towards the NDA leaders.
His claims were dismissed by BJP president JP Nadda, who said that “whatever the leader of opposition said is complete lie and false.” He repeated the claim that DKS talked about “changing Constitution”.
“Samvidhan Congress ne diya hai, Samvidhan ko badalne ka kaam b Congress karegi,” he said citing it as DKS’s comment.
Kharge, in a press brief after Parliament was adjourned, said: “Congress party and other parties in Karnataka, all together accepted the reservation started in 1994. That reservation has been there since then…continuing till today. But what is their problem? Their problem is that our 5 guarantees are reaching the people in Karnataka and so they are very sad that the popularity of Congress is increasing.”
The controversy erupted after Shivakumar, at an event on Sunday, reportedly said that the “Constitution will be changing” while discussing a bill granting 4% reservation to minorities and other backward Classes in public contracts.
His remarks triggered a political storm, drawing sharp criticism from BJP leaders. Meanwhile, the Karnataka state cabinet has approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, aimed at reserving 4% of tenders for minority contractors.
Moreover, the Congress’s chief whip in the Rajya Sabha, Jairam Ramesh, on Monday gave a notice of question of breach of privilege against Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju for “misleading” the House on alleged statements made Shivakumar. Ramesh gave the notice under Rule 188 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
