Opposed to quotas on religious lines: BJP

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Indrasena Reddy on Friday stated that his party was not against reservations for Muslims, but was opposed to quotas being given on the basis of religion.

Talking to media persons here, the senior BJP leader made it clear that the party has not changed its stand on this issue and had opposed reservations on the basis of religion since its inception.

Rubbishing Pradesh Congress Committee president D Srinivas’s statement that YSR Congress Party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy has a secret pact with BJP to come to power in the state, Mr Indrasena Reddy said the Congress was afraid losing the by-elections and hence was making such baseless allegations.

The senior BJP leader made it clear that the party has no hidden agenda or any secret pact with Mr Jaganmohan Reddy. “There is no necessity for BJP to tie up with Mr Jaganmohan Reddy in order to come to power,” he stated.

“The only reason we did not field candidates for the Kadapa Lok Sabha and the Pulivendula Assembly constituencies is because we are realistic enough to know that we do not have enough strength to win the by-elections,” Mr Indrasena Reddy said.

He also criticized Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu for supporting such baseless charges without trying to ascertain if there was any truth in the comments.

The senior BJP leader alleged that both Congress and Telugu Desam Party had hatched a conspiracy in the recent Legislative Council elections and were trying to malign other party leaders.