BHUBANESWAR: BJP MP Sambit Patra on Friday tore apart the Congress-led Karnataka government over its decision to increase reservation in housing development schemes for minorities from 10 to 15 per cent. He termed it a "perfect" example of how people keep the Constitution in their "pockets" after "tearing it into pieces."

Sambit Patra said the Constitution for the Congress party and the Gandhi family are secondary to appeasement.

"The Karnataka Cabinet passing the Muslim reservation in housing schemes yesterday is a perfect example of how the people who keep the Constitution in their pockets are tearing the Constitution to pieces... For the Congress Party and the Gandhi family, the Constitution is secondary to religious appeasement", Sambit Patra told reporters on Friday.

Sambit Patra asserted that he has come to expose the double standards and appeasement policies of the Karnataka Congress unit, and how they have always tried to disrupt the "social fabric" of India.

"I am here today to expose the double standards and appeasement policies of the Karnataka Congress unit, and reveal how Congress has always tried to disrupt the social fabric of India... The Congress cabinet in Karnataka decided that Muslims will get a reservation in the housing schemes across the state, and the reservation will be increased to 15%", Sambit Patra said.

The BJP MP slammed the Karnataka government and said that a religious angle has been brought to the housing welfare scheme. He mentioned that Congress always invites a "long-term" disaster for the sake of short-term benefits.

"A religious angle has been added to this housing welfare scheme. There is no doubt that Congress often invites a long-term disaster to gain short-term political benefits", Sambit Patra asserted.

The BJP MP said that the Public Procurement Amendment Bill 2025 in Karnataka showed that it has become a "marketplace" for the Congress party's "appeasement" politics.

The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Amendment Bill 2025 showed that welfare schemes have become a marketplace of appeasement for the Congress Party... Reservations based on religion and appeasement politics are always taken forward wherever Congress assumes power... The Congress Party is never apologetic about this because they accept the fact that they are into vote bank politics and not into welfare schemes. No governance, only divisive experiments", the BJP MP added.

Patra's remarks come amid growing criticism from BJP leaders over the Karnataka Cabinet's approval on Thursday to raise the reservation quota for minority communities from 10 to 15 per cent under various housing schemes. The decision has triggered a political uproar, with the BJP arguing that religion-based reservation violates constitutional principles.

Karnataka Minister HK Patil stated that this move does not require any new rules to be drafted. "The reservation for all minority communities will be increased. There are Christians, Jains, Buddhists," the Minister said.