BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday alleged in the Lok Sabha that Opposition-ruled states were indulging in vote-bank politics by granting reservation to Muslims and demanded a central law prohibiting such a practice.

In a rare gesture, junior law (independent charge) and parliamentary affairs minister Arjun Ram Meghwal promptly rose and told the House that he would communicate the “feelings” of the MPs to the ministry concerned, which he himself heads. Ministers rarely respond in the House to matters raised during Zero Hour.

The Congress members staged a brief protest in the Well of the House, alleging preferential treatment to the BJP MPs to raise political matters during Zero Hour.

“For vote-bank politics, all the Opposition parties want to give reservation to Muslims and destroy the social fabric of the country…. I want to urge the central government to frame a law against the Opposition’s vote-bank politics and stop the back-door entry of Muslims,” Dubey, the MP from Godda in Jharkhand, told the Lok Sabha.

Dubey said the Karnataka government’s recent decision to grant 4 per cent reservation to Muslim contractors in civil work tenders was unconstitutional.

“He has raised a very serious and important issue. We will communicate his feelings to the ministry concerned,” Meghwal said.

Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya raised the same issue and demanded a rollback of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill.

“Through the 4 per cent reservation for minorities in government tenders, the Congress government in Karnataka is incentivising religious conversion into Islam. A secular government cannot do this… this should be rolled back and the government should bring a law against it,” Surya told the House.

Congress MPs rose in protest as Surya was allowed to raise the same issue after Dubey. They alleged that while their Zero Hour notices were pending, the two ruling party MPs were allowed to launch political attacks.

The two MPs later took to X to amplify the issue, thanking Meghwal for taking note. “The Indian government is concerned about the plans of the Opposition parties, including the Congress, to divide the country on the pretext of Muslim reservation. Today, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal expressed his concern in the Lok Sabha…,” Dubey posted on X.

“Grateful to the union law minister for taking note of this dangerous precedent…,” Surya posted.