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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
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.
Indian Express
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
J&K Opposition slams Omar govt for not addressing concerns on reservation — ‘deliberate denial of justice'
A day after the cabinet subcommittee on reservations tabled its report to the Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet, the Opposition has targeted the ruling National Conference for 'delay' in making the document public. Government sources told The Indian Express Wednesday that the report had been forwarded to the Law Department for review. Introduced in April last year by the Lieutenant Governor-led UT administration, the UT's reservation policy amends Rule 4 of the J&K Reservation Act of 2005 to increase reservation for reserved category in the state to 67 per cent from 43 per cent, with 3 per cent horizontal reservation to ex-servicemen. This has meant that only 33 per cent was left for the general category of candidates – a change that has been vehemently opposed by various political parties as well as students. Student groups from the 'Open Merit' or general category have been demanding a rationalisation of this reservation for over a year. The protests prompted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's government to announce a subcommittee to look into the issue. PDP leader Waheed Para said Thursday that the J&K government had promised to resolve the reservation issue through a subcommittee report. 'That deadline has passed, leaving thousands of students heartbroken and disillusioned, their trust in the system shattered and their futures put on hold,' Para said. Terming the delay in addressing concerns of the protesting students 'a deliberate denial of justice,' Para said: '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'. The Pulwama MLA said that the ruling National Conference government has the power to 'strike down' the BJP-imposed policy with a single administrative order, 'but the party that promised to reverse BJP's damage is now complicit in continuing it.' Meanwhile, People's Conference chairman Sajad Lone Thursday accused the government of being 'clueless' on reservation and stated that they have 'no intentions of doing anything.' '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 round. You can't send something to the cabinet which is outside the domain of law. It looks like another round of time-wasting tactics,' Lone said. The protests were among the first challenges faced by the elected government in J&K. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had met with students protesting outside his residence in December 2024. In April, the government-appointed cabinet subcommittee began deliberations with student groups and in the first week of June, the minister concerned Sakeena Itoo announced that the subcommittee had compiled its report and it would be presented before the UT cabinet. However, after the cabinet met Thursday, the findings of the report were not made public and sent to the law department for review. The reservation policy has also been challenged in the High Court of J&K and Ladakh.
