NEW DELHI: Opposition members staged a strong protest in the Rajya Sabha on Monday and walked out after K Laxman, a BJP MP and national president of the BJP OBC Morcha, alleged that some states are granting OBC reservation benefits to Muslims for vote-bank politics.
The Opposition objected sharply to Laxman’s remarks made during Zero Hour, particularly his demand to stop the inclusion of Muslims in OBC lists—a practice followed in certain states. As he raised the issue, Laxman described such inclusion as a “misuse of OBC reservation” and urged the government to conduct a comprehensive review. His comments led to uproar in the House and eventually a walkout by Opposition members.
Amid the protests, Laxman claimed that states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, and Telangana have included Muslims in the OBC category to extend reservation benefits. He argued that such measures go beyond constitutional provisions, asserting that the Constitution does not allow reservations based on religion and that B R Ambedkar had opposed such policies.
He stated that reservations meant for socially and educationally backward OBC communities are being misused in the name of religion. Laxman further alleged that in Karnataka, the entire Muslim community is treated as a single category and given 4% reservation; in West Bengal, around 97% of Muslim communities are included as OBCs; in Tamil Nadu, Muslim groups in the OBC list cover nearly 95% of the population with 3.5% reservation; and in Kerala, Muslims are listed within the OBC category with reservation increased from 3% to 12%.
Criticising the Indian National Congress, Laxman also referred to Telangana, claiming that apart from inclusion in the OBC list, a 4% reservation exclusively for Muslims had been introduced, which he said was struck down by the High Court.
He termed the issue “anti-OBC” and alleged that reservation policies are being distorted for political gains. Citing an example, he claimed that in Hyderabad municipal elections, Muslims are benefiting from reservations meant for OBCs. He urged the central government to review such policies and ensure that reservations are based on social and educational backwardness rather than religion.
Following him, Leader of the House J P Nadda criticised the Opposition, calling their actions anti-democratic. He accused the Congress-led alliance of lacking interest in democratic debate and parliamentary decorum, and of pursuing appeasement politics.
Nadda also condemned the disruption during Laxman’s speech, saying it reflected a lack of faith in parliamentary procedures and the Constitution. Defending Laxman, he reiterated that there is no constitutional provision for granting OBC reservation based on religion and added that courts, including the Andhra Pradesh High Court, have struck down such measures.