Fact Check: Did Amit Shah Say BJP Plans to Eliminate OBC Reservation?

The video in question was widely shared by multiple accounts, all amplifying the same claim. In the video, Home Minister Amit Shah is depicted as making a statement urging an end to reservation policies, allegedly for the purpose of modifying the constitution. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that the video bore the logo of V6 News.

This led to the discovery of the same video on the V6 News Telugu YouTube channel, where it was published on April 23, 3023, under the title ‘Union Minister Amit Shah Comments Muslim Reservations.’ In this video, the specific clip in question occurs at the 2:38-minute timestamp, wherein Shah mentions the intention to eliminate what he refers to as unconstitutional Muslim reservation in Telangana if the BJP comes to power. NDTV also released the video on April 24, 2023, titling it ‘Amit Shah Vows To Scrap Muslim Quota in Telangana.’

According to NDTV, during a rally in Chevella near Hyderabad, Shah criticized religion-based reservations as being unconstitutional and vowed to terminate Muslim reservations in Telangana if the BJP gained control of the state government. Similarly, on April 24, 2023, Times Now reported Shah’s promise to end the 4 percent Muslim reservation in Telangana if the BJP were to be elected, with Shah denouncing religion-based quotas as contradicting the Constitution. The conclusion reached after analyzing this situation is that the viral clip featuring Shah is old and has been edited to present a false claim.

Specifically, the assertion that Shah called for the removal of SC, ST, and OBC reservation quotas is inaccurate.