Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, has criticised the Congress party’s election promises in Karnataka, a state where elections are imminent. He claimed that Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statement that reservations cannot be granted based on religion and Congress’ vow to grant Muslims reservations went against these ideals.
Sarma also charged that by vowing to outlaw groups like the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka, the Congress party was seeking to pacify Muslims. According to him, this is similar to the platforms of hardline Muslim groups like the Popular Front of India. He also criticised the Siddaramaiah administration for dropping PFI cases when it was in office.
Sarma emphasised that the Uniform Civil Code’s (UCC) implementation would guarantee gender equity and equal rights for Muslim women in Karnataka. If the BJP wins back power, it has pledged to adopt UCC in the state. The implementation of UCC in Karnataka, he continued, would spark a desire for its adoption across the nation.
Sarma argued for the creation of a national National Register of Citizens (NRC) and noted that the BJP pledged to do so in its manifesto for the elections in Karnataka.
The BJP has intensified its campaigning in the southern state with top BJP leaders holding massive rallies and roadshows. The ruling BJP released its manifesto for the Karnataka elections on Monday, while the Congress party released its manifesto on Tuesday. The Congress party promised decisive action as per law, including imposing a ban on organizations like Bajrang Dal and PFI.
Election day for the Karnataka Assembly is set for May 10, and the results will be tallied on May 13.