Lucknow, May 24 (IANS) UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, welcomed the decision of the Calcutta High Court regarding OBC-Muslim reservation and emphasised that the Constitution never allows reservation based on religion.

Speaking to the media at his official residence, he commented, "The TMC government of West Bengal, driven by political appeasement, introduced this reservation in 2010 by forcibly including 118 Muslim castes into the OBC category. This approach of prioritising political interests over national welfare by the INDIA bloc must be denounced and exposed."

He criticised the Mamata government for "forcefully encroaching" upon the rights of OBCs.

"The Court's reversal of the TMC government's unconstitutional action is a significant rebuke. Such unconstitutional acts cannot be tolerated. Dr BR Ambedkar reiterated this point numerous times in the Constituent Assembly."

He explained that in India, reservation provisions were established for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and after the Mandal Commission, the reservation was instituted for OBCs, taking into account their social and economic backwardness.

"The Constitution of India never allows reservation based on religion. Ambedkar had repeatedly warned that the country has several religions and we should not create any such situation that would push the country towards partition," the Chief Minister said.

The chief minister emphasised that even in Karnataka, the Congress government has made similar "encroachments" on the rights of OBCs by providing reservations to Muslims.

"Similar actions have been taken in Andhra Pradesh as well. It is crucial to strongly oppose all such measures. Any unconstitutional act that threatens to divide India and weaken its foundation should not be accepted at all," he said.

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday cancelled all the Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates issued in West Bengal after 2010.