Opposition criticises Jammu and Kashmir government for ‘dragging its feet' on quota revamp
The Jammu and Kashmir Government is dragging its feet on finalising a report on the rationalisation of reservation categories in the Union Territory (UT), which is being studied by a Cabinet sub-committee.
The committee, in turn, submitted it to the Law Department for legal vetting months ago, and it has been bogged down since. Several opposition parties have expressed dismay and demanded that the Cabinet report be made public.
J&K's reservation quota was revised under Central rule after new categories like Paharis, Paddari Tribe, Koli, and Gadda Brahmin, etc., were included in 2024. The open merit category was reduced significantly, to less than 40%.
The ruling National Conference (NC), which promised to rationalise the quota, constituted a Cabinet Sub Committee (CSC), which was to file its report in six months. However, no final decision was taken on the rationalisation and no deadline was set for the Law Department, evoking sharp reactions from Opposition parties and open merit aspirants.
'Despite the six-month deadline, the Cabinet has neither offered clarity nor transparency on the report, only vague assertions and now a reported referral to the Law Department. This ambiguity is not just disappointing but also damaging,' Engineer Ehtisham Khan, a student rights activist, told The Hindu.
Aspirants in the dark
He accused the NC Government of 'keeping the open merit aspirants in the dark yet again.'
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and MLA Waheed-ur-Rehmaan Parra said the Cabinet move has left 'thousands of students heartbroken and disillusioned.' 'This is a deliberate denial of justice. These students have already endured violence, lockdowns, and lost opportunities. Now, as they seek fair representation and rationalised reservation, the government is pushing them further to the margins,' Mr. Parra said.
He said the NC Government has the power to strike down the BJP-imposed policy with a single administrative order.
NC insincere
'But the party that promised to reverse the BJP's damage is now complicit in continuing it. If the Kashmiri youth are not offered hope, it will only empower subversive elements, further destabilising a generation and their future. Rationalisation of reservation and proportional representation represents the only fair path forward, and it must be implemented without further delay,' Mr. Parra said. He demanded that the government make the report public.
J&K Peoples Conference chief and MLA Sajad Lone accused the Abdullah Government of being 'clueless on reservations.' 'It has no intention of doing anything. Now, coming to this draft proposal. To the best of my knowledge, anything sent to the Cabinet should be vetted by the Law Department. It is not the other way around. It looks like another round of time-wasting tactics,' Mr. Lone said.
J&K Apni Party (JKAP) president Altaf Bukhari asked the government to set a timeline for addressing the reservation issue. 'Whether the government focus is on revising the CSC report or obtaining legal vetting, it is essential that a clear and fixed timeline be established,' Mr. Bukhari said.
He called for 'a judicious reservation policy.' 'One thing is clear beyond a doubt that the current reservation policy is highly flawed and injudicious. There is broad consensus that we require a more judicious reservation policy to protect merit,' Mr. Bukhari said.
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