Tuesday, August 9 2005 19:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Accusing Congress of indulging in "appeasement" of minorities, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) President L K Advani today (Aug 9, 2005) said the party was trying to regain its lost glory through its policy of reservation for Muslims, which could have "serious long-term repercussions" for the country.

"Congress was in power for a long time, and a major reason for it was its Muslim vote bank, which has gradually slipped away from it. It is now trying to regain that same dominance by taking steps to strengthen its Muslim vote bank," he said addressing a rally organised by BJP's youth wing against reservation for Muslims.

He, however, said experience with democracy had made the people of India sensible and they would weed out parties that indulge in vote-bank politics.

Advani said the Constituent Assembly had pondered on the issue of giving reservation to religious minorities, but decided against it. "The Minorities Committee of the Assembly, headed by Sardar Vallabhai Patel, decided that this form of reservation could lead to another partition of the country," he said.

"Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech to the Constituent Assembly termed it a historic decision," the BJP chief said adding Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi should read that speech before continuing with the policy of reservation for Muslims.