The BJP on Saturday criticised the Karnataka government's decision to reserve 4% of government contracts for Muslims, calling it unconstitutional. The party accused the Congress of engaging in appeasement politics and claimed the move could weaken national unity.

Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was speaking at a press conference, also questioned Congress’s Rahul Gandhi about his "extraordinary fondness" for Vietnam, saying the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is spending more time there than in his home state. Gandhi is said to have been in Vietnam during Holi, after spending time there during the New Year, as he claimed. "The frequency of his visit to that country is very curious," Prasad said. 

He claimed that Gandhi is trying to lead the Congress by engaging in communal and vote bank politics among opposition parties. He also alleged that Gandhi was responsible for the Karnataka government's decision to introduce a quota for Muslim contractors. “Such a decision may seem small but developments like these add up to have serious national implications,” Prasad said, “wondering if there is any limit to such competitive appeasement politics and if separate queues for Muslims in buying cinema and train tickets will come next.” The former law minister stated that such decisions weaken the voice of Muslims who oppose divisive politics and support the nation's progress.

Prasad pointed out that past demands for special treatment for Muslims during the independence movement eventually led to the country's partition. He added that the Supreme Court has strongly opposed reservations based on religion and expressed confidence that the Congress government's decision in Karnataka will be legally challenged. "The Constitution makes provision for reservation on the ground of social and education backwardness, and Muslims too have benefitted under it in different states," he said. The Karnataka government has approved changes to the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act, allowing a four per cent reservation for Muslim contractors in government tenders.