Shivamogga, Karnataka:

Commenting on reservations for Muslims, BJP President J.P. Nadda said on Tuesday that B.R. Ambedkar said there is no place for reservation based on religious lines.

Addressing an Intellectual Meeting at Shivamogga in Karnataka, the BJP President said the Congress government in the state headed by CM Siddaramaiah gave 4 per cent reservations to Muslims from the OBC quota.

“In undivided Andhra Pradesh, they tried multiple times to rob the reservation for the SC, ST, and OBC categories and to give it to the Muslim community. We are not against Muslims. B.R. Ambedkar clearly stated that there is no place for reservation on the basis of religion. The development shows the vicious and divisive design that people have,” he said.

“CM Siddaramaiah will only talk about divisive politics and religion, nothing beyond that. His only agenda is to divide communities. Siddaramaiah always says the state is not getting its due. What he is saying is correct. Siddaramaiah will never get this due. They don’t believe in ‘mission’, they only believe in ‘commission’, which they will never get,” Mr Nadda said.

The BJP chief also said that there has been a rise of 275 per cent in funds for development projects allocated to Karnataka as compared to the UPA era.

“Rs 8,000 crore was spent on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway. The Bengaluru suburban railway project has been allocated Rs 15,700 crore. Under the Bharat Mala project, 614 km of highways are being constructed in the state,” Mr Nadda said.

Besides, the Bengaluru airport was provided Rs 5,000 crore while the Shivamogga airport was allotted Rs 450 crore, he said, adding that more than Rs 14,000 crore was released for smart cities in Karnataka.

“The opposition has got nothing to say. They only try to save the corrupt people,” Mr Nadda said.

“The opposition leaders have gone into deep depression as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared that this time the NDA will cross the 400-seat mark. The opposition stands exposed in its design to divide India,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud is felicitated with the ‘Award for Global Leadership’, at Harvard Law School, in Massachusetts, USA.
| Photo Credit: PTI

However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those responsible for its functioning happen to be a “good lot,” Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud said while citing B. R. Ambedkar and hailing his idea of constitutionalism as being responsible for dismantling deeply entrenched caste hierarchy in India.

The CJI made the observations during his keynote address at the Sixth International Conference on the ‘Unfinished Legacy of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’ at the Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, in the U.S. on October 22.

The CJI highlighted the idea of constitutionalism of Ambedkar, who headed the committee tasked to frame the Indian Constitution and said it was instrumental in transforming Indian society by dismantling deeply entrenched caste hierarchy and promoting social, economic and political empowerment of marginalised groups.

“Ambedkar’s legacy continues to shape the constitutional values of modern India, serving as a beacon for social reform and the pursuit of justice for all,” he said.

He cited Ambedkar, who had said however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it happen to be a bad lot.

“However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it happen to be a good lot,” the CJI said quoting Ambedkar.

The CJI, who is in the USA, was also felicitated with the ‘Award for Global Leadership’ by the Center on the Legal Profession, Harvard Law School on Saturday.

The announcement about CJI Chandrachud being chosen as the recipient of the award was made on January 11, 2023 in an online ceremony.

He was present at the Harvard Law School on Saturday for a fireside chat with David Wilkins, Professor at Harvard Law School and Faculty Director, Center on the Legal Profession.