In the last round of elections, the BJP’s “Muslim Quota” charge gains momentum thanks to the Calcutta High Court’s OBC Order

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) used the “Muslim Quota” accusation to launch its Lok Sabha election campaign. While this may have originated in Karnataka, the party promoted it across the country to argue in favor of appeasement politics in opposition to the Congress-India alliance. With just two phases of the elections remaining, the Calcutta High Court has declared all certificates granted to various classes under the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in West Bengal since 2010 to be “illegal,” giving the BJP’s campaign new life.

The West Bengal state list of OBC castes includes 179 castes. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) Chairman, Hansraj Ahir, claims that 118 of the members are Muslims. There are two categories on the state’s OBC list: Category A and Category B. According to Ahir, there are 81 groups in Category A, of which 73 are Muslim and just 8 are Hindu. According to him, there are 98 groups in Category B, 45 of which are Muslim and 53 of which are Hindu.

While the matter was being considered legally in court, the BJP and the TMC fought over it during the Panchayat election in Bengal last year. Presently, the order of the Calcutta High Court arrives in the midst of the Lok Sabha election.

The BJP aims not just at TMC but at India.
Wednesday at 6 PM in Delhi’s Dwarka was the Prime Minister’s first public rally after the release of the ruling. Without any delay, he denounced the verdict as a “slap on the INDI alliance” and said that TMC had awarded Muslims OBC certificates in exchange for their “vote bank politics.”

“This is a concession. These individuals assert that Muslims have the primary claim to the nation’s resources. In exchange for the waqf board’s support, these individuals are donating government land to them. 15% of the budget is intended to be set aside for minorities. In an attempt to pacify the BJP, which was rampant at the start of the election season, PM Modi declared, “They want to give loans and government tenders on the basis of religion.” With a formal endorsement, the BJP’s accusation has gained new momentum heading into the last stretch of the race.

Amit Shah, the home minister, attacked the TMC on Wednesday when he was in West Bengal. “I applaud the High Court’s ruling. Mamata ji said that we disagree with the High Court’s ruling. Can there be a Chief Minister who would suggest that we disregard the court’s ruling? That is what I would want to know from the people of Bengal? I vehemently disagree with this; I applaud the High Court’s ruling, and we will make sure that it is carried out,” Shah said.

It’s noteworthy to note that the BJP is accusing the INDIA bloc’s components throughout India of appeasing minorities, not only the TMC. This goes beyond restricting their criticism to Bengal. West Bengal chief of the BJP On X (formerly Twitter), Amit Malviya posted a video of Shah and said, “Congress tried it in Telangana and Karnataka, Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.” Members of the I.N.D.I. Alliance must be kept far away from positions of authority if we are to save both India and our Constitution.”

IMPACT ON SEVENTH AND SECOND PHASES
It is anticipated that the order’s immediate impact and the politics surrounding it would be felt in West Bengal, where the sixth round of elections will take place in Tamluk, Kanthi, Ghatal, Purulia, Bankura, Bishnupur, Jhhargram, and Medinipur. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s first statement that she “will not accept” the decision contributed to the BJP’s onslaught. “I have faith in the legal system. However, I disagree with the ruling that states Muslims shouldn’t be allowed to apply for OBC reservations. OBC bookings will go on. If necessary, we’ll take the matter to a higher court, Banerjee said.

In the days leading up to the election’s sixth round, the BJP is expected to target its partners in India, including the RJD in Bihar, the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand Mukti Mocha in Jhharkhand, during rallies and road shows.

In a few days, voters in many constituencies in Bihar, including Valmiki Nagar, Paschim Champaran, Purvi Champaran, and Gopalganj, will have the opportunity to cast ballots in Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Allahabad, and Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP may have to deal with its abrasive campaign on this topic since it is an ally of the TMC in Haryana, where the Congress is looking for a comeback this time. On May 25, votes will be cast in all ten of Haryana’s seats, including Rohtak, where Congressman Deependra Singh Hooda is running. Hemant Soren’s JMM will have to fend off local BJP assaults on the same day that Ranchi, Jamshedpur, and Giridhi, in Jharkhand, go to the elections.

Six states and two Union territories will host elections for a total of 58 Lok Sabha seats during this phase. In this round, elections will be held for each of Delhi’s seven seats. In the last round, not only will nine seats in Bengal perhaps escape the heat of this dispute, but also 13 UP and 8 Bihar seats.

As the Lok Sabha election was just getting off in late April, Prime Minister Modi accused the Congress of “through the backdoor” adding all Muslims to the OBC list in Karnataka. The BJP has a legal order to argue that the TMC also includes Muslims in the OBC category, which the court has declared to be “illegal,” as the poll enters its last leg. The timing couldn’t have been more ideal for the BJP.