BJP, RSS welcome SC verdict on AP quota

NEW DELHI : BJP and RSS today welcomed the Supreme Court decision declining to stay the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment quashing an ordinance providing five per cent reservation for Muslims in government jobs terming it as a “slap on the appeasement policy” of the Congress.

“It is yet another slap on the appeasement policy of the Congress as earlier also the reservation Bill was struck down both by the Andhra Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court”, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

Alleging that the motive of the Congress was not to benefit the Muslims but to treat them as a vote bank, he said, “if it is really concerned, it should bring new schemes to upgrade the skills and capacity building of the weaker sections.” “Religion based reservation is against the spirit of the Constitution and the unity of the nation as the country was once partitioned on the basis of religion. We will support the Government in any programme aimed at the uplift of the weaker sections, including minorities”, he said.

Expressing happiness over the apex court decision, RSS Spokesman Ram Madhav said he hoped the spirit of the Constitution will be upheld in the final verdict also.

Admitting a bunch of appeals, including from Andhra Pradesh government, against the High Court judgement, the apex court had referred the matter to the Constitution Bench.