Lucknow, May 24: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, applauded the Calcutta High Court's decision on OBC-Muslim reservation, stressing that the Constitution prohibits reservations based on religion.
Addressing the media at his official residence, he stated, "The TMC government of West Bengal, driven by political appeasement, introduced this reservation in 2010 by forcibly including 118 Muslim castes into the OBC category. This approach of prioritizing political interests over national welfare by the INDIA bloc must be denounced and exposed."
Adityanath criticized the Mamata government for "forcefully encroaching" upon the rights of OBCs, welcoming the court's reversal of what he termed as "unconstitutional" actions.
He reiterated, "The Constitution of India never allows reservation based on religion. Ambedkar had repeatedly warned that the country has several religions and we should not create any such situation that would push the country towards partition."
The chief minister highlighted similar instances in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where, he claimed, the rights of OBCs were "encroached upon" by providing reservations to Muslims.
He emphasized the need to oppose all unconstitutional acts that threaten to divide India and weaken its foundation.
The Calcutta High Court had recently cancelled all Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010.
