New Delhi, March 25 Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, DK Shivakumar, has found himself at the heart of a political firestorm following his alleged remarks about "changing the Constitution" to introduce religion-based reservations. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate responded to the issue on Tuesday.
Speaking to IANS, Supriya Shrinate accused the BJP of spreading falsehoods, stating, "The BJP is lying. They are fabricating stories and making baseless claims. The four per cent reservation being provided in Karnataka is for Backward Class Muslims under the 2B category.
"These Muslims were already receiving reservations in education and jobs, and now they are also included in government contracts. The reservation limit for SCs, STs, and other OBCs has been raised from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore for government contracts. So, is the BJP against reservation or do they have an issue with reservations in government contracts? The truth is that the BJP and RSS have always been opposed to reservations, and this opposition is visible once again."
Shrinate further reacted on the recent controversy surrounding comedian Kunal Kamra's indirect swipe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with his 'gaddar' comment.
"Being in government means facing sarcasm and criticism," she remarked.
"Just recently, the Prime Minister himself said that sharp criticism is necessary. So, why doesn't Shinde ji take the same lesson and learn to tolerate it? The real problem lies in the hooliganism, demolitions, and 'bulldozer justice' happening under the Maharashtra government, which clearly shows that the law and order situation has collapsed.
"I personally believe that criticism and sarcasm have a rightful place in a democracy, and if they are not tolerated, something isn’t right. Regarding Shiv Sena, what you did was nothing short of treachery, so what's the issue with calling a traitor a traitor?" she added.
Shrinate further responded on the Odisha Assembly witnessing massive disruptions again on Tuesday, as legislators from the Opposition parties, Biju Janata Dal and Congress, continued to hold noisy protests in the House over rising crimes against women and on the issue of quota for SCs/STs and OBCs.
"The atrocities against women have taken the form of a disaster. Forty-four thousand women and children are missing in Odisha. Forty-nine women go missing every day in the country, out of which thirteen are women. The biggest problem in Odisha is that the government seems to be unconcerned.
"Small girls are being gang-raped. Sixty-four gang rapes have happened in the last nine months. What is the government doing? Gang rape is happening in Mayurbhanj. And the accused openly posts his photo with the Chief Minister of Odisha," she said.
"Small girls are victims of sexual exploitation. Girls of class six and class ten were found to be pregnant. What will the government do about this? Is this not an issue? Are the daughters of Odisha, their safety and identity not an issue for you?
"It doesn't matter to us if it is not an issue for you. We will make this an issue because it is about the daughters of the country and the reality is that till now we have done gherao of the Chief Minister's residence. What about the Collector? And now on March 27 we are going to gherao the Vidhan Sabha. Even if you have suspended our MLAs, held their collars, molested them and abused them, we are not going to be scared of these things. We will fight for their justice," she concluded.
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