Cong makes U-turn on Muslim quota
Distances from Khurshid, Digvijay remarks fearing OBC backlash
On the defensive amid allegations of minority appeasement, the Congress party on Friday distanced itself from Union Minister Salman Khurshid’s statement promising nine per cent reservation to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, and party leader Digvijay Singh’s remarks on Delhi’s Batla House encounter.
The move was an obvious attempt to stay away from any controversy over the quota issue, which has involved the Election Commission. On the attack against the alleged terrorists in Batla House encounter, the party decided to side with the government rather than Singh, who had described the encounter as staged.
While Khurshid’s remarks had drawn the BJP ire, the statements from Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram, who defended the encounter, were being seen as the Congress and the government sending conflicting signals on the issue.
Disowning Khurshid’s statement, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said: “It is his personal view. If an individual has said something it would be better to seek reply from that individual ...” He further asserted that “Election Commission is constitutional body, its actions are above criticism.”
On the issue of controversial Batla House encounter, Alvi said: “The party supports the stand taken by the government.” Digvijay Singh, however, stood by his demand of justice for the accused. “We want justice for the 26 accused in the case. A speedy, free and fair trial for them is top priority as a judicial probe is not possible now,” Singh had said on Thursday. The Congress statement has come at a time when the BJP is accusing the UPA of playing appeasement politics and trying to “humiliate” the Election Commission of India.
“This is very unfortunate, the UPA-II has been trying to marginalise and humiliate many constitutional authorities,” BJP leader Balbir Punj said, commenting on the row between the Election Commission and Khurshid on the minority quota.
Khurshid was the recipient of a show cause notice by Election Commission on Tuesday for promising reservation to Muslims in government jobs during a poll meeting in Farrukhabad, from where his wife Louise is contesting as a Congress nominee in the coming Assembly polls.
Khurshid replied to the poll panel’s notice on Thursday and defended his statement citing the 2009 Congress poll manifesto in which the party had promised to provide for sub-quota for minorities. Earlier in the day, the Congress leader said he had no regrets on the issue as he had not done anything unlawful.
“No. Why should I regret? You regret when you do something unlawful,” he told reporters while emerging from a meeting of the Group of Ministers on Bhopal gas tragedy.
On Wednesday, Khurshid had questioned EC’s decision to serve him a notice and asserted that he had “not violated the model code of conduct. I have a right to put forth my view. It should reach the people.”
