Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm following ruckus over Muslim reservation in Karnataka

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday without transacting any business as treasury and opposition benches sparred over the issue of reservations to Muslims in Karnataka public contracts.

As soon as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar took the chair, BJP members, led by Kiren Rijiju and J P Nadda, vocally opposed the move, calling it unconstitutional.

Rijiju argued that the decision was against the Constitution as its framer B R Ambedkar was against religion-based reservations, and cited Sardar Ballavbhai Patel’s rejection of similar demands during the Constituent Assembly discussions.

Nadda, who is Leader of the House, claimed that Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had even suggested amending the Constitution to extend such reservations nationwide.

A Bill was passed by the Karnataka Assembly on Friday to provide four per cent reservation for Muslims in public contracts.

Rijiju and Nadda accused the Congress of undermining the Constitution, despite its public stance as its protector.

In response, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge reaffirmed his party’s commitment to safeguarding the Constitution, referencing the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh called on the BJP to substantiate its claims regarding the reservation policy in Karnataka.

Chairman Dhankhar also supported Singh’s request for evidence, leading to further chaos in the House, prompting the adjournment.