BJP accuses Congress of releasing election manifesto during “silence” period in Jharkhand

Mr. Patra claimed that the Congress wanted to give 4% reservation to the Muslim organisations and contractors in public tenders

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday (November 13, 2024) accused the Congress party of releasing its election manifesto during the 48-hour “silence” period ahead of the Assembly polls in Jharkhand, in violation of the Model Code of Conduct.

At a press conference, BJP MP Sambit Patra said the Congress released its manifesto a day ahead of the first phase of election in the State. He said the BJP has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking action in this regard.

Stating that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi never took the Election Commission seriously and always spoke against it, Mr. Patra claimed that the Congress wanted to give 4% reservation to the Muslim organisations and contractors in public tenders.

“Today, the Siddaramaiah government is doing the same in Karnataka. On August 24, through a letter to the Chief Minister, Muslim MLA of Congress in Karnataka and Waqf and Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and the Chief Minister’s personal secretary, Naseer Ahmed, had demanded 4% reservation in public tenders for Muslims,” said Mr. Patra.

Taking note, the BJP leader claimed, the Siddaramaiah government had written to the State’s Finance Department, asking whether it would be possible to do so under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act. In the same manner, the Congress was exploring if it was possible to snatch the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs, and give 4% reservation in public contracts to the ‘infiltrators’ in Jharkhand, he alleged.

“Not only this, in Karnataka the Congress had hatched a conspiracy to snatch away the land of farmers and give it to the Waqf Board. When the conspiracy was exposed, the Siddaramaiah government had to issue a clarification,” he said, adding that a Muslim body in Jharkhand had written a letter supporting the Congress.

The BJP leader said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was contesting the Lok Sabha bypoll in Wayanad with the support of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Published - November 14, 2024 07:40 am IST