New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday accused the Congress of playing divisive politics ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, singling out its promise for a sub-quota for backward minorities.

Continuing with his party’s opposition to minority reservation within the other backward classes (OBC) quota, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said good governance, law and order and corruption were the main issues for the poll-bound state but Congress was trying to divert attention.

“Congress is attempting to change the agenda of Uttar Pradesh elections from electoral issues to a divisive agenda by offering reservation on religious lines,” he said.

He said that the constitution did not allow such reservation and questioned why the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had not thought about this issue in the last seven and a half years it has been in power.

“This provision will make a big hole in the OBC right to 27 percent reservation. By offering 9 percent within the OBC quota to the minorities, the government is providing for 33 percent to the latter from the minority share,” Jaitley said.

He also accused Congress of double-talk on the issue.

“The Congress spokesperson has said this offer of nine percent reservation to minorities is the personal view of the minister (Salman Khurshid). Why this dual forked tongue,” Jaitley said.

He also demanded that the government bring out a white paper on the Batla House shootout.