New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Lok Sabha MP Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday accused the Congress party of violating the fundamental principles of the Constitution by granting reservations to minorities, in an effort to create social unrest and strengthen its vote bank, read a statement released by his office.

Speaking to the media in New Delhi today, he said the Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is deceiving the backward classes and said the 4 per cent reservation to minorities is unconstitutional.

'We had reversed this decision, and the matter is now under review by the Supreme Court. Despite knowing this, the Congress government is misleading people by claiming that they are providing reservations to backward classes while actually giving 4 per cent reservation to minorities, which is unconstitutional and illegal,' he said.

Bommai noted that the architect of the Constitution, B R Ambedkar had explicitly stated during the drafting of the Constitution that reservations should not be granted based on religion, a statement from Bommai's office read.

'However, the Congress party is violating Ambedkar's principles and the core values of the Constitution by implementing such reservations. This move is also an attempt to create social unrest. Congress is more concerned about strengthening its vote bank than maintaining social harmony. The party will have to pay a heavy price for this in the coming days,' he warned.

Recalling the history of the Congress party, the former CM alleged that the Congress party had fielded extremely wealthy candidates twice against Ambedkar to defeat him, claiming that even the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru actively campaigned against Ambedkar.

'Did Savarkar ever campaign against Ambedkar? It was the Congress party that defeated Ambedkar. Twisting history now to save their party is neither fair nor meaningful,' he noted.

Responding to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's accusations against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Bommai said the RSS was founded to serve society and address injustices against the underprivileged during British rule.

'Siddaramaiah criticises the RSS because he believes it will help consolidate his vote bank. The RSS has been around for 77-78 years since independence, and the entire country knows what it stands for. Even Congress leaders like former PM Indira Gandhi praised the RSS, and former President Pranab Mukherjee attended an RSS event and spoke positively about it,' he pointed out.

The BJP leader claimed that Siddaramaiah is not an original Congress leader but someone who joined from outside.

Bommai said, 'Those who come from outside need to constantly prove their loyalty by making repeated statements. That is why Siddaramaiah is using RSS as a tool to strengthen his leadership. But people already know what the RSS stands for.' (ANI)