'Jinnahwadi': BJP slams Cong over Revanth Reddy's 'Congress means Muslims' remarks

New Delhi, Nov 6 (PTI) The BJP slammed the Congress on Thursday over Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's "Congress means Muslims" remarks, calling those an "open admission" by the opposition party that it is "Jinnahwadi" and keeps Sharia above the Constitution.

Addressing a rally for the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll in Hyderabad on Thursday, Revanth Reddy criticised Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy for opposing the recent induction of former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin into the Council of Ministers in Telangana and said it is only the Congress that gives big posts to members of the minority communities.

"Congress means Muslims and Muslims means Congress," the chief minister said.

Latching on to his remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "Revanth Reddy has made an open admission of what we know for a very long time.... This is not the INC (Indian National Congress), this is the JWC -- Jinnahwadi Congress." "Today, it has been openly admitted," he added.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the founder of Pakistan.

Poonawalla further alleged that it is because of this mindset that the Congress has time and again said "Muslims first, Sharia first, vote bank first, not Samvidhan (Constitution) first, India first".

"This is the true face of the Congress. It is actually only catering to its vote bank. It puts vote-bank considerations and Sharia above Samvidhan," he said, "This is the mindset because of which the Congress wants to cut the reservation of the OBC, SCs, STs and give it to its favourite vote bank. It has done this in Karnataka and Telangana." PTI PK RC