Congress Slams BJP’s ‘Fake Issue’ Tactic to Stall Parliament Amid Karnataka Reservation Row

New Delhi: The Congress on Monday accused the BJP of deliberately creating a “fake issue” to disrupt parliamentary proceedings, as the ruling party escalated protests over Muslim reservation in Karnataka’s government contracts.

The BJP has been attacking Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, alleging that he proposed amending the Constitution to grant religion-based reservations. Shivakumar, however, categorically denied these claims, stating, “I have never said that the Constitution will be amended in any manner to give religion-based reservation.”

Chaos erupted in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leading to adjournments as BJP MPs aggressively raised the issue. Congress leaders, including general secretary Jairam Ramesh, alleged that the BJP’s real motive was to divert attention from the controversy surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma. “The BJP has come up with a completely fake issue just to avoid discussing serious matters,” Ramesh said.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also accused the BJP of orchestrating disruptions, stating, “They seem to have made up their mind that they don’t want the House to function. Every day, they find some excuse or the other.”

Shivakumar, while defending his government’s policies, hit back at the BJP, saying, “Historically, Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Congress framed the Constitution, while the BJP’s parent organization opposed it.” He further accused the BJP of seeking 400 seats in Parliament to amend the Constitution and “deny rights to the poor and underprivileged.”

The Karnataka Deputy CM also claimed that the BJP’s outrage stemmed from its frustration over Congress’s “Five Guarantees” welfare schemes, which have transferred over ₹52,000 crore to the state’s poor. “The BJP’s sinister design is to somehow abolish these guarantees, which will never happen—not over my dead body,” Shivakumar declared, vowing to continue his fight for social justice.