NEW DELHI, Mar 24: The Parliament witnessed an uproar on Monday over the alleged remarks of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar about “changing the Constitution” to provide reservation to Muslims.
However, the Deputy CM denied hinting at changing the Constitution to accommodate religion-based reservation. The KPCC president also accused the BJP and its chief J.P. Nadda of deliberately misquoting him.
Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, Mr Shivakumar said, “I am sensible, senior politician than Nadda. I have been in the Assembly since last 36 years. I have basic common sense. I have not said there will be any… I have said casually that there will be so many changes after various judgments. I have not said we are going to change the Constitution. Whatever they are quoting is wrong. They are misquoting it. We are a national party, we know what Constitution is. I will move a privilege motion on this. I will fight a case; they are misquoting me.”
The controversy erupted after Mr Shivakumar’s appearance on a summit meeting of a media house on Sunday. While speaking about the amendment to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025, that provides for 4% reservation to contractors from Muslim community in public works in the State, Mr Shivakumar said the “constitution will be changing.” His remarks sparked a massive row and drew backlash from BJP leaders.
Mr Shivakumar said, “There is a big debate around this. Many BJP leaders have criticised it, claiming that Muslims are only fit for fixing tyre punctures or selling meat. But it is our duty to uplift people from all sections of the society. We have given them opportunities and reservation in education and employment but we must also uplift them economically…We wanted to help the Muslim community in a smaller way and make them part of the development process, and hence have them do contract work.”
In response to a query that even the Constitutions doesn’t allow for reservation on the basis of religion, Mr Shivakumar clarified, “I agree, let us wait and watch. Let us see what the courts say. I know people will approach the court. Let us wait for the good day; good day will come. Lot of changes are there and the Constitution will be changing. There are judgements which alters the Constitution also.”
BJP leaders criticised the KPCC chief’s comments, accusing the Congress of being “communal” and undermining the guarantees provided to backward class communities. MP Sambit Patra accused the Congress party of attempting to partition the country again.
Mr Patra said, “Congress’ true face is revealed today. Their nature has been revealed today. DK Shivakumar is not an ordinary leader. He is close to the Gandhi family, to Rahul Gandhi… Nehru ji partitioned the nation to keep his ambition alive. To become the PM, he divided Maa Bharti into two on the basis of religion… Today, the Gandhi family is doing the same.”
In a detailed post on social media platform X, Mr Shivakumar lashed out at a “frustrated” BJP, its State and Central leadership and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju for “resorting to brazen and blatant lies to malign the Congress Party and me by falsely attributing statements to me.”
Offering further clarification to “BJP & its lying Ministers,” he said he was not present in the Assembly when discussion on the Bill took place, and that he never said the Constitution would be amended in any manner to give religion-based reservation.
“Historically, Baba Saheb and Congress framed the Constitution and BJP’s parent organization opposed it. Even till last Parliament, BJP wanted to change the Constitution and was asking for 400 seats to deny rights to poor and underprivileged. To hide their sins, they are now accusing the Congress and me. Also, reservation in Karnataka is given based on criteria of backwardness,” he wrote.
He attributed the recent controversy to the BJP’s “sinister design” to abolish the guarantees. He said: “BJP is peeved with the 5 Guarantees of Congress which transfers over ₹52,000 CR to the poor and underprivileged. The sinister design is to somehow abolish the Guarantees, which will never happen and can happen over my dead-body. I will continue this fight to defend the guarantees and these conspiracies of BJP will fail decisively.”
On March 21, amidst protest by the Opposition BJP and the JD(S) members and a strong defence by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, 2025, that provides for 4% reservation to contractors from Muslim community in public works was passed in both Houses of the Legislature. The Opposition later in the day petitioned Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, requesting him to not clear the Bill.
While the BJP opposed the Bill, pointing to the lack of Constitutional provisions to support religion based reservation, the Congress argued that reservation was based on socio-economic backwardness and not religion. The community is under category 2-B of the Karnataka’s backward classes reservation matrix, and the Bill seeks to provide reservation to 2-B category.
(Manas Dasgupta)
