Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 15 (ANI): Sowmya Reddy, President of the Karnataka Mahila Congress Unit, on Saturday defended the Karnataka government's decision to provide four per cent reservations to minorities in government contracts. She said the decision was in accordance with the constitution.

Reddy added that the Congress government in Karnataka believes in 'serving people' without regard to their religion, language, or caste. She said that the BJP was 'jealous' of the good works being carried out by the state government.

'According to the Constitution, each and every person has a right irrespective of caste and religion. Don't we need equality? Everything is as per the constitution. We serve people. We don't look at religion, caste, or language. BJP is basically jealous that our Congress government in Karnataka is doing good work,' Reddy told ANI.

Responding to the charge of appeasement politics, she said that the government also increased the honorarium for the pujaris in the state. 'In the recent budget, the salaries of archakulu (pujaris) have been increased to 72,000 per month. Which religion do they belong to?' Reddy said.

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal on Saturday lambasted the Karnataka government after the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government approved a 4 per cent reservation for Muslims in government contracts.

'It is quite a strange thing. Will the Karnataka Government try to clarify whether the other communities in their state, who also need social and economic upliftment, will be given reservations in the same manner? Focusing only on one community and neglecting the rest of the public, the Karnataka Government's mindset deserves all the criticism it receives,' Khandelwal told ANI.

The Karnataka Cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act that provides a four-percent reservation in tenders to Muslim contractors.

Maulana Sajid Rashidi, President of the All India Imam Association (AIIA), on Saturday said that it was not a good idea to provide 'concession' in the name of religion. Instead, he added, reservations should be given to those who are in need of the same.

He said that no concession should be given to contractors on the basis of religion. Rashidi asserted that reservations must be given to the poor of all religions.

'I don't think it is good to give concession in the name of religion. There should be no reservations on the basis of religion. No concession should be given to contractors in the name of religion. You should look at those who need it. Those who are poor should be given reservations regardless of their religion - be it Muslim, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, etc.,' Rashidi said.

When asked about allegations levelled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the Congress government in Karnataka, Rashidi said that every party was engaged in the politics of appeasement. He said that Congress engages in politics in the name of providing reservations to Muslims, while the BJP indulges in similar politics by opposing it.

'Every party is indulged in the politics of appeasement. BJP also does appeasement politics. Look at what happened in Sambhal. It is easy to accuse others of doing so. In today's world, only politics of hatred are successful. Congress does politics in the name of providing reservations (to Muslims), and the BJP indulges in similar politics by opposing it. Although they give benefits of schemes to Muslims, don't name Muslims,' he added.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Indresh Kumar on Saturday said that the country's progress was only possible when everyone felt like an Indian, as this would wipe out communal riots and politics based on religion.

'If we all have this feeling that we are Indian, we were, and we will continue to be - it will put an end to communal riots and politics based on religion and then only the country will move forward. No one should try to divide this nation,' Kumar told ANI.

In a veiled dig, the RSS leader accused the opposition parties of engaging in 'vote ki raajneeti (politics based on votes), saying that many parties were trying to create a divide based on religion and caste.

'Because of 'vote ki raajneeti', many of the parties are against the fact that we all are Indians. Hence, they are trying to create a division based on religion and caste,' Kumar added.

The Karnataka government has approved a four-percent reservation for minorities in government contracts, a decision that has sparked reactions among Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. Reacting to the move, party leader Mahesh Tenginkai accused the Congress-led government of engaging in 'appeasement politics.'

'Since Congress came to power in the state, they are doing this appeasement politics. Those who pelted stones at police in Hubballi, Congress released them. They have done many such things,' BJP leader Tenginkai told ANI.

Similarly, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also strongly opposed the Karnataka government's decision to grant four per cent reservation for Muslim contractors in government projects, calling it Congress's 'appeasement politics' and warning about its 'nationwide implications.'

the state cabinet approved an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, which aims to provide 4 per cent reservation in tenders to Muslim contractors, official sources said.

The decision was taken on Friday in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at the Cabinet Hall of the Vidhan Sabha. Official sources added that the amendment will be made after the KTPP act is tabled in the ongoing assembly session.

Speaking to ANI, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday clarified that the state government's decision to provide a four per cent reservation in government contracts is not exclusive to Muslims but extends to all minority communities and backward classes.

'Four per cent reservation is not just for Muslims but all minority communities and backward classes,' he said. (ANI)