New Delhi: BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) today (July 22, 2004) welcomed the Andhra Pradesh High Court's interim order suspending the operation of the State Government order, extending five per cent reservation for Muslims in education and employment and said if implemented, the Congress Government's move would lead to further division of the country.

"We welcome the stay on the Andhra Government's order. Reservation based on religion is against the nation and the Constitution," BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V K Malhotra told reporters in New Delhi.

Recalling that even the framers of the Constitution had rejected the idea of reservation based on religion and favoured such facilities based on social factors, he said, "Sonia Gandhi is doing what Pandit Nehru and Indira Gandhi did not do".

"It is a dangerous move and could lead to the division of the country," he said.

The BJP leader said while secularism envisaged equal treatment of all, Congress was pursuing a policy of appeasement for its "vested interests and vote bank politics".

In this regard, he also demanded that the party take action against its Chief Minister in Assam Tarun Gogoi for "contradicting" the statement given by Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal that there were 50 lakh Bangladeshi immigrants in the State.

"There are 2.5 to three crore illegal Bangladeshis in the country and it is too serious an issue to be overlooked," he said.