Congress' decision of carving out a sub-quota for monitories withing the OBCs 27% quota would "bolster" Hindutva forces and break the social cohesion between OBCs and minorities, Janata Dal (United) [JD(U)] claimed on Friday.
National spokesperson of JD(U), a key NDA ally, Shivanand Tiwari on Friday termed the Congress' proposed move as "unfortunate".
He was reacting to the Centre's decision to carve out a sub-quota of 4.5% for minorities within the 27% reservation for OBCs.
"What have you (the Congress) done, you don't know really... the Congress has played a role to help bolster the strength of Hindutva and demolish the social alliance between the OBCs and minorities continuing ever since BJP leader LK Advani embarked on a rath yatra on the Ayodhya issue," Tiwari said.
"We were the real forces to check the rise of Hindutva after Mandal Commission and the social alliance between the OBCs and minorities came in handy at that time to stop the forces of Hindutva from raising their ugly heads," Tiwari told PTI.
Had the Congress been really interested in providing sub-quota within the OBCs quota for minorities, it would have made necessary amendments to the Constitution and raised the quota limits, Tiwari said.
"It is a fact that the condition of minorities, SCs/STs, OBCs and other extremely backwards is bad... they suffer from malnutrition, illiteracy and weakness," Tiwari said adding they all deserved the right for reservation for their uplift.
"If Congress really wants that the OBCs and minorities' social cohesion continue, it should explore the way for hiking the quota limit to adjust minorities, particularly Pasmanda Samaj," he said.
"I think the leadership of minorities and OBCs will realise the impact of the decision and will not not support the Congress' stance," he claimed.
He urged the Congress to rethink and roll back the decision.
