BJP pulls up Congress for playing religion-based politics

New Delhi, June 13 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday lashed out at the Congress-led UPA Government for playing religion-based politics, and accused it of cheating the common man of the country.

"This kind of reservation quota and other politics which is being playing in the minds of the people of Congress party with which they have repeatedly cheated the people of the country, I think stands exposed," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman, while reacting to the Supreme Court's decision to reject the Central Government's plea of providing 4.5 percent sub-quota for minorities on the basis of religion in central educational institutions out of 27 percent reservation for OBCs.

"Although it is being repeatedly exposed, today too, it is completely out in the plain and very clearly it is standing exposed and we demand that the Congress party apologise to this nation for playing this kind of an appeasement politics," she added.

Questioning the government on giving 4.5 percent sub-quota for minorities on the basis of religion, the Supreme Court earlier today refused to stay the Andhra Pradesh High Court order quashing the decision.

An apex court bench before which the Human Resource Development Ministry placed the relevant and supporting documents, forming the basis for the Sub-Quota, the Court questioned whether classification can be made on the basis of religion.

The apex court added that Office Memorandum issued by the Government on 22nd of December, 2011 did not have legislative support. The Additional Solicitor General, Gorab Banerjee, strongly pleaded in support of the sub-quota, but court upheld the Andhra Pradesh High Court order.

It noted that there is ambiguity in the calculation for carving out the sub-quota from the OBC quota. (ANI)