BJP demands Khurshid's resignation; Congress downplays EC censure

New Delhi: BJP demanded the resignation of Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who was censured by the Election Commission for violating the model code of conduct, and asked the Prime Minister to clarify his stand on the issue of sub-quota for minorities. “This verdict from EC is sufficient to demand resignation of Salman Khurshid from government. It also demands that the Prime Minister must clarify his stand on this unconstitutional announcement made by his Law Minister to give religion-based reservation to minorities, especially Muslims,” BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. Khurshid, while campaigning for his wife Louise, a Congress candidate from Farrukhabad assembly constituency in UP, had announced that his party would increase the sub-quota for minorities to nine per cent, out of the 27 percent Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation. [caption id=“attachment_209065” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=" BJP tonight demanded the resignation of Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who was censured by the Election Commission for violating the model code of conduct, and asked the Prime Minister to clarify his stand on the issue of sub-quota for minorities. PTI"]  [/caption] “This was an unconstitutional announcement made by a person sitting on constitutional post and it clearly shows that Congress still believes in divide and rule policy for political gains,” Naqvi said. The BJP leader said “Khurshid had tried to destroy the social harmony and fabric of the country and Uttar Pradesh for political gains.” In his reaction, BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said the complaint of the BJP against Khurshid stood vindicated. Prasad had earlier appeared as a counsel for the BJP in the case before the EC. “The decision of the EC is welcome. Salman Khurshid was not only a Congress leader but also the Minority Affairs Minister when he made the announcement of nine percent reservation for minorities after the model code of conduct came into being,” he said. “He was trying to cause unfair advantage to the Congress by this announcement and violated the level playing field on which the entire model code functions. Therefore the complaint of the BJP against Khurshid stands vindicated,” Prasad said. Congress downplays EC censure of Khurshid Congress tonight downplayed the Election Commission’s censure of Union Minister for Law and Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid for violation of model code of conduct by his remarks on sub-quota for minorities during electioneering in Uttar Pradesh. “Salman Khurshid has said something. Election Commission has commented on it. The matter is closed”, party General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said. Khurshid, while campaigning for his wife Louise, a Congress candidate from Farrukhabad assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, had promised the electorate last month that the party would increase the sub-quota for minorities to nine per cent, out of the 27 percent Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation. The EC found the remarks to be a violation of the model code of conduct for U P Assembly elections. PTI