Amit Shah declared "We will not allow Muslim reservation in Haryana"

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke at a 'Backward Classes Samman Sammelan' in Haryana on Tuesday. He strongly criticized the Congress party and made promises about reservation policies. Shah said the Congress has always been against backward classes. He claimed that if Congress wins in Haryana, they will take away reservation from backward classes and give it to Muslims instead. "I want to assure you that we will not allow Muslim reservation in Haryana," Shah declared. 

The BJP leader talked about the history of reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in India. He mentioned the Kaka Kalekar Commission from the 1950s, saying Congress didn't use its suggestions for many years. Shah also said that in 1980, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ignored the Mandal Commission's report. When it was finally accepted in 1990, he claimed Rajiv Gandhi spoke for two and a half hours against OBC reservation. Shah pointed to recent events in Karnataka, where he said Congress took reservation from backward classes and gave it to Muslims. He warned the same could happen in Haryana if Congress wins. 

The Home Minister praised recent actions by the BJP government in Haryana. He mentioned that Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini had increased the income limit for the "creamy layer" of OBCs from 6 lakh to 8 lakh rupees per year. Shah also noted the government's plan to increase reservation for backward classes in some government jobs from 15% to 27%. Shah then turned his attention to the Congress party's new 'Haryana Maange Hisab' (Haryana Demands Accountability) campaign. He challenged former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, saying, "Hooda sahab, you have to give an account of 10 years of misgovernance and depriving Haryana of development." 

The Congress started this campaign on Monday. They plan to criticize the BJP government on issues like unemployment and law and order before the upcoming state elections. Last week, Congress also released a "charge sheet" against the state government, saying it had failed in areas like creating jobs and protecting farmers. Shah's visit to Haryana was his second in less than a month. He seems to be focusing on the state as it prepares for assembly elections later this year. Shah confidently stated that the BJP will win a majority in these elections. 

This speech shows the BJP's strategy of defending its record on OBC issues while attacking Congress's past and present policies. It also highlights the growing importance of reservation policies in Indian politics, especially as elections approach.