By IANS
Hyderabad : Opposing education and job quotas on the basis of religion, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday said it was for reservations for socially and economically weaker sections of the Muslim community.
The national executive of the BJP minority cell, which met here, made it clear that it was “uncompromisingly opposed to any special treatment or reservations on the basis of religion”.
Inaugurating the meeting, senior BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu said the party was opposed to reservations on the basis of religion “as it will create tensions and cause more harm than any good”.
He, however, said the party was in favour of reservations for the economically and socially backward sections among Muslims and claimed that the BJP-ruled states were already implementing this policy.
Lashing out at the Congress, Naidu said by talking of religion-based reservations, the party was sowing seeds for another division of the country on the basis of religion.
Reservations is a key issue on the agenda of the executive, which discussed issues and problems of minorities.
The executive meeting, chaired by minority cell president Shahnawaz Hussain, is attended by the party’s national vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and MP Najma Hepthullah among others.
Terming the 2001 communal violence in Gujarat as “unfortunate”, Naidu said it was in Gujarat that the Muslims have highest per capita income in the country. He claimed that the figure was the lowest in communist-ruled West Bengal.
The BJP leader alleged the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had failed to tackle terrorism in the country.
“BJP does not believe in linking terrorism with any religion. All terrorists are not Muslims and all Muslims are not terrorists. Linking terrorism with religion is a grave injustice to the country, especially to the Muslims,” he said.
Naidu asked the minority cell leaders to carry the message to the minorities that the BJP was against “minorityism” and not against the minorities, against religious extremism but not against any religion.