PM Modi is the biggest supporter of reservation: Amit Shah

Jaipur: The BJP will neither end reservations nor allow anyone to do it, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday and accused the Congress of spreading a misconception that the ruling party wants to abolish quota for the Dalits, tribals and backwards.

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi himself is the biggest supporter of reservation," Shah said at an election rally in Harsoli in Rajasthan's Alwar district.

He alleged that the Congress was "anti-OBC" and had put in cold storage key reports on the issue of reservation.

"I want to make one thing clear. Congress party is spreading misconception, especially among Dalit and tribal brothers, that the BJP is going to abolish reservation."

"Listen to me carefully. Be it reservation for Dalits, tribals or backward classes, the BJP supports it. We will neither end the reservation nor allow anyone to do it," he said at the rally in support of Alwar Lok Sabha candidate Bhupender Yadav.

Shah's assertion came in the backdrop of the Congress' election manifesto promise of bringing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. The Congress has also said a caste census will be undertaken if it is voted to power.

The BJP leader alleged that the Congress did injustice to the backward classes for years.

"It kept the Kaka Kalelkar report suppressed, kept the Mandal Commission report suppressed. Modi came and worked to give constitutional recognition to the OBC Commission.

"Modi has done the work of giving 27 per cent reservation to the OBC community in all recruitments at the Centre," Shah said.

The former BJP chief said the prime minister and 27 Union ministers were from the OBC community.

He sought the people's votes saying Modi accomplished many "seemingly impossible" tasks in 10 years of his government.

"Modi ji has to be made the prime minister for the third time. ... In ten years, Modi ji has done many things which seemed impossible. Modi ji has a record of 10 years and planning for 25 years," he said,

Targeting the Congress on the Ram Temple issue, Shah said, "For 70 years the Congress party kept delaying the Ram Temple, kept diverting it, kept stalling it."

"On April 17, for the first time after 500 years, Ramlala will celebrate his birthday in the grand temple on Ram Navami. This is a matter of pride for all of us," he said.

He said that the Congress had been holding on to Article 370 for so many years in its greed for the vote bank.

"Modi ji abolished Article 370 in one stroke on August 5, 2019, and hoisted the tricolour in Kashmir," he said.

Regarding the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project ERCP, he said, "ERCP is going to be completed soon, this is a guarantee of the Modi government."

Shah said that the BJP government in Rajasthan has moved towards ensuring women's safety and ending appeasement.

Taking a dig at Congress, he said, "Modi ji says 'save daughter - educate daughter' whereas Congress says 'save son - make PM'."

"Sonia ji's entire focus is on making Rahul the PM and not on your sons and daughters. This Rahul Baba is a vehicle that was launched 20 times but the launching failed every time," he said.

Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan will be held in two phases on 19th and 26th April. In the first phase, voting will be held in 12 seats -- Ganganagar, Bikaner, Churu, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Jaipur Rural, Jaipur, Alwar, Bharatpur, Karauli-Dholpur, Dausa and Nagaur.

In the second phase, voting will be held in 13 seats -- Tonk, Ajmer, Pali, Jodhpur, Barmer, Jalore, Udaipur, Banswara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Bhilwara, Kota and Jhalawar.