RS adjourned for day amid ruckus over reservation for Muslims in Karnataka

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday as the ruling BJP members raised the issue of reservation to Muslims in public contracts in Karnataka leading to an uproar in the Upper House.

The Upper House saw two adjournments before it was adjourned for the day.

The House witnessed uproarious scenes soon after it met for the day, with members of treasury benches raising slogans. While many of them were on their feet even before Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar sat on his chair, some of them entered the aisles.

As ruling BJP MPs created a ruckus, alleging that a Congress leader has vowed to change the Constitution to provide reservation to Muslims, Congress president and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that no force can change the Constitution made by B R Ambedkar.

Dhankhar gave Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju the floor to speak on what the ruling party members were agitating about.

“It is not our intention to disrupt this zero hour. Why I am standing here is because of an extremely important and sensitive matter which has come to our notice. MPs from NDA have come to me and raised this important issue,” Rijiju said.He said a senior Congress leader who holds a constitutional post has said the party will change the Constitution to provide reservation in contract work to the Muslim community.

Though he did not name the leader, he was apparently referring to D K Shivakumar.

“We cannot take this statement lightly. Because, if it was a statement made by any ordinary person, then we could have replied outside. Since this statement has come from a person who is holding a constitutional position and in very clear terms he has stated that the Congress party will provide reservation to the Muslim community and for that they will change the Constitution of India,” the minister said.

Stating that it is “extremely serious”, he said, “this is not a matter that we can tolerate.

“This is an assault on the Constitution of India, provided by Dr B R Ambedkar,” he said, adding that Congress leaders carry the Constitution book in their pockets but are doing everything to undermine it.

When Dhankhar asked what he and his party wanted, Rijiju said the Congress president should make the party position clear and “tell the House and the nation why Congress wants to change the Constitution to provide reservation to Muslims”.

Rijiju said, “This is Muslim League’s policy and it was rejected by Sardar Patel....We want you should seek the resignation of the deputy chief minister of Karnataka.” Leader of the House and Union minister Jagat Prakash Nadda then got up to allege that the Congress was shredding the Constitution to pieces.