Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has strongly criticized Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and the Congress party over Shivakumar’s recent remarks regarding constitutional changes to accommodate religion-based reservations. Adityanath termed the comments a direct affront to Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar’s vision and the Indian Constitution.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Adityanath asserted that Ambedkar had firmly opposed religion-based reservations while drafting the Constitution.
“The Karnataka government granting reservations based on religion is an insult to the Constitution given by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. During the Constituent Assembly debates, the idea of religion-based quotas was brought up, and Babasaheb strongly opposed it,” he stated.
Providing historical context, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister reiterated Ambedkar’s stance, saying, “Ambedkar advocated for reservations for socially disadvantaged groups who had suffered from untouchability for years. This is why the Constitution made special provisions for them. Every member of the Constituent Assembly rejected religion-based reservations because the country had already been divided along religious lines in 1947.”
Adityanath further accused the Congress party of consistently undermining Ambedkar’s principles since independence. “Since 1952, Congress has repeatedly tampered with the Constitution framed by Bhimrao Ambedkar,” he alleged.
Highlighting policy differences between the BJP and Congress, Adityanath also mentioned the issue of triple talaq. “Congress talked about women’s empowerment but supported ‘teen talaq.’ It was Modi ji who abolished it, marking the biggest step towards women’s empowerment,” he stated.
Drawing a direct link between Congress’s historical policies and Shivakumar’s statements, Adityanath said, “DK Shivakumar is merely echoing Congress’s long-standing approach. The party must be reminded of how it has undermined Babasaheb Ambedkar, the amendments it made to the Constitution, and its actions in 1976.”
In response, DK Shivakumar has denied the allegations and accused the BJP of misquoting him to spread misinformation.
“I will take a breach of privilege on this. I will fight a case. They are misquoting me,” Shivakumar said, accusing the BJP of deliberately misleading the public.
The controversy follows the Karnataka state cabinet’s approval of an amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, which seeks to provide a four percent reservation in government tenders for minority contractors—a move that has drawn strong opposition from the BJP and the JD(S).
