"Cannot have reservations based on religious identity": Kiren Rijiju slams Congress over Shivakumar's changing constitution remark

New Delhi [India], March 24 (ANI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday stated that the country's Constitution is secular and does not support any reservation based on religious identity or affiliation.
Speaking to the media, he said that the Constitution can only grant reservations on the basis of economic and social criteria.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress Party over Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's remarks on changing the Constitution, Rijiju said that the NDA parties have taken a very serious note of his statement.
He further stated that the issue of Muslim representation and reservation was rejected in 1947 when the Muslim League brought the matter to the Constituent Assembly, proposing reservations for the Muslim community.
"Today, both Houses of Parliament - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - had to be adjourned due to a very serious issue. The NDA party has taken very serious note of the statement given by a senior Congress leader holding a Constitutional position. He has clearly stated that reservations for Muslims are a step towards providing reservation and other facilities to the Muslim community, and that for this, the Constitution of India would need to be changed. His statement is very clear," Rijiju said.
"They want to give reservations to the Muslim community by changing the Constitution of India. Please remember one thing, the Muslim representation and reservation issue was rejected in 1947 when the Muslim League brought this matter to the Constituent Assembly for providing reservations to the Muslim community," he added.
"Our Constitution is secular; there can be reservations on the basis of economic and social criteria, but there cannot be reservations based on religious identity and affiliation," the Union Minister further stated.
He also said that he had sought the position of the Congress party on this matter. "I had sought the position of the Congress party and Congress party president, who is the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha. He must tell the House whether they are going to sack the person holding a Constitutional position or state clearly that Congress will destroy the Constitution of India," he added.
A ruckus erupted within minutes of the proceedings in the Rajya Sabha over Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's reported remarks about "changing the Constitution." Union Minister Kiren Rijiju demanded an explanation from the Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, regarding Congress' position on reservation for Muslims. However, the Congress chief said that no one can change the Constitution.
When Rijiju termed Shivakumar's remark as "very serious," Leader of Opposition and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge responded, stating that his party undertook the Bharat Jodo Yatra across the country to protect the Constitution.
"Nobody can change the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar. Nobody can abolish reservations. To protect it, we did the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. They (pointing at NDA MPs) break India," Kharge said.
Amid the controversy over his remarks on the Constitution, Shivakumar clarified that he had said casually that there would be many changes after various judgments.
"I am a sensible, senior politician. I have been in the Assembly for the last 36 years. I have basic common sense. I said casually that there will be many changes after various judgments. As per the quota for backward classes, reservations have been given. I did not say that we are going to change the Constitution. Whatever they are quoting is wrong. They are misquoting me. We are a national party. It is our party that brought the Constitution to this country. I will take breach of privilege on this. I will fight a case. They are misquoting me," Shivakumar said. (ANI)