Amid the controversy over his remarks on the “changing the Constitution”, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar responded on Monday by asserting his experience as a senior politician, claiming he has been in the Assembly for 36 years and has common sense. He clarified that his earlier statement about changes being made following various judgments was made casually, and he did not mean to suggest a change to the Constitution. He said that the reservation for backward classes was already in place and accused others of misquoting him. Shivakumar further stated that the Congress party, which he represents, played a key role in bringing the Constitution to India and that he would take legal action over the alleged misinterpretation of his words.
Shivakumar’s statement about “changing the Constitution” while discussing the 4% quota for Muslims in public contracts sparked a strong reaction, with the BJP criticising Congress, Shivakumar, and Rahul Gandhi over the issue.
The Karnataka Assembly recently passed a bill that proposes a 4% reservation for Muslims in public contracts. Speaking at the News18 India Diamond States Summit 2025 on Sunday, Shivakumar said that changes would be made to implement the quota for the minority group.
“Lot of changes are there, Constitution will be changing, there are judgements which alters the Constitution also,” Shivakumar said while speaking about the reservation.
BJP slams Shivakumar’s statement on constitution
BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya took to X and slammed Shivakumar’s statement. He said that Shivakumar has openly declared that Congress plans to amend the Constitution to provide reservations for Muslims. He questioned where Rahul Gandhi, who claims to be the protector of the Constitution, was now.
Malviya accused Congress of prioritising appeasement over national interests, mentioning that they supported the partition of the country based on religion and ensured Muslims remained. “The Congress has always prioritized appeasement over national interest—they didn’t hesitate to partition the country on religious lines, and even after that, ensured that Muslims stayed back. There could be no greater betrayal,” Malviya wrote in his post.
He also claimed that Congress has never treated Hindus fairly and never will.
Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra Yediyurappa also criticised Deputy CM DK Shivakumar for his comments, suggesting that if he truly respected the Constitution of India and Babasaheb Ambedkar, he would not have made such remarks. He acknowledged that changes had been made in the past, but stressed that reservations based on religion is just not allowed. Yediyurappa expressed disappointment in Shivakumar’s statement and urged him to reconsider his words.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla also took to X and wrote “Cat is out of the bag.” He added that Congress has accepted that they are ready to change the constitution to give illegal reservation to Muslims. Poonawalla further added Congress is the biggest threat to the Constitution and is “anti-reservation, anti-Ambedkar, and anti SC ST OBC”.
Speaking to ANI, Poonawala also slammed Rahul Gandhi, fpr accusing others of changing the Constitution when it is he who wants to do that. He said that he wants to “destroy” the constitution by introducing reservations for Muslims based on religion. He challenged Gandhi to clarify who the true enemy of the Constitution is, claiming that Congress poses the greatest threat to it. Poonawala argued that the party’s focus on vote bank politics and appeasement is the biggest danger to the Constitution.
What had Shivakumar said?
Shivakumar had said that some BJP leaders have made claims about Muslims doing jobs like repairing bike punctures. He had said that it is the responsibility of the government to uplift all sections of society, enabling them to participate in development.
He also acknowledged that the move has been initiated and expected that the matter would eventually go to court. He pointed out that several past rulings have modified the Constitution, suggesting that similar changes could happen in the future.