Lucknow:
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh today accused the BJP of polarising elections in UP and said its decision to field Uma Bharti shows its "total bankruptcy" of leaders in the state.
However, he dismissed allegations that he was communalising elections by raking up issues like Batla House encounter and reservation for Muslims.
Singh, who is known to aggressively wooing the minorities for Congress, said his party does not mind Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress general secretary, who has come under fresh attack from BJP's Hindutva face Uma Bharti, hit out at the BJP for fielding her in UP elections.
"I must say, that in all this one thing that comes out clearly is that there is a total bankruptcy of leaders in BJP's UP unit. That is why they had to import a leader from Madhya Pradesh.....But we don't take her seriously," Singh said.
The Congress leader charged the BJP with deliberately polarising the elections in UP as it has no issues.
In reply to a question, Singh said he "does not mind" Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in UP.
Though Singh claimed Congress would get a clear majority in UP, he did not rule out alliances in case there is a hung Assembly. "It all depends on the results. But we are not answering any hypothetical questions," Singh said.
On the reservation issue, Singh, who is in the thick of the Congress election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, insisted that the 4.5 per cent quota within OBC quota was not religion-based reservation but merely a sub-categorisation" to ensure that backward sections within the minorities got their due.
"The 4.5 per cent reservation is a sub-categorisation within OBC quota so that backwards among the minorities are 'ensured' that they get their fair share. It is not based on religion.As it is, the backwards among the minorities are getting reservation within the OBC quota. The 4.5 per cent quota has been given to ensure that these backward minorities get their due share," he said.
When asked what was the need for a separate quota within quota if backwards among minorities were already benefitting from OBC reservations, Singh claimed that though the backward castes among minorities have been included within the 27 per cent for OBCs, they have not been the real beneficiaries and this 4.5 per cent quota would help them.
Singh denied that this decision and its timing were aimed at winning Muslim votes. However, he agreed that since the percentage of OBCs in other minority communities- Christians, Parsis and Sikhs, among others- was small, the biggest beneficiaries would be Muslims. "The Sikhs have an OBC population but their number is minimal," he said.
The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister also justified Law Minister Salman Kurshid's promise of 9 per cent reservation to minorites in place of the 4.5 per cent. Congress had distanced itself from Kurshid's comments, saying these were his personal views.
"The 4.5 per cent quota within quota is for backwards among minorities across the country. Muslims constitute 13 per cent of the country's population. Kurshid was talking about minorities in Uttar Pradesh where Muslims are 18 per cent," Singh said.
However, he dismissed allegations that he was communalising elections by raking up issues like Batla House encounter and reservation for Muslims.
Singh, who is known to aggressively wooing the minorities for Congress, said his party does not mind Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress general secretary, who has come under fresh attack from BJP's Hindutva face Uma Bharti, hit out at the BJP for fielding her in UP elections.
"I must say, that in all this one thing that comes out clearly is that there is a total bankruptcy of leaders in BJP's UP unit. That is why they had to import a leader from Madhya Pradesh.....But we don't take her seriously," Singh said.
The Congress leader charged the BJP with deliberately polarising the elections in UP as it has no issues.
In reply to a question, Singh said he "does not mind" Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi campaigning in UP.
Though Singh claimed Congress would get a clear majority in UP, he did not rule out alliances in case there is a hung Assembly. "It all depends on the results. But we are not answering any hypothetical questions," Singh said.
On the reservation issue, Singh, who is in the thick of the Congress election campaign in Uttar Pradesh, insisted that the 4.5 per cent quota within OBC quota was not religion-based reservation but merely a sub-categorisation" to ensure that backward sections within the minorities got their due.
"The 4.5 per cent reservation is a sub-categorisation within OBC quota so that backwards among the minorities are 'ensured' that they get their fair share. It is not based on religion.As it is, the backwards among the minorities are getting reservation within the OBC quota. The 4.5 per cent quota has been given to ensure that these backward minorities get their due share," he said.
When asked what was the need for a separate quota within quota if backwards among minorities were already benefitting from OBC reservations, Singh claimed that though the backward castes among minorities have been included within the 27 per cent for OBCs, they have not been the real beneficiaries and this 4.5 per cent quota would help them.
Singh denied that this decision and its timing were aimed at winning Muslim votes. However, he agreed that since the percentage of OBCs in other minority communities- Christians, Parsis and Sikhs, among others- was small, the biggest beneficiaries would be Muslims. "The Sikhs have an OBC population but their number is minimal," he said.
The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister also justified Law Minister Salman Kurshid's promise of 9 per cent reservation to minorites in place of the 4.5 per cent. Congress had distanced itself from Kurshid's comments, saying these were his personal views.
"The 4.5 per cent quota within quota is for backwards among minorities across the country. Muslims constitute 13 per cent of the country's population. Kurshid was talking about minorities in Uttar Pradesh where Muslims are 18 per cent," Singh said.
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