National Conference (JKNC) Member of Parliament (MP) Aga Ruhullah Mehdi will hold a protest outside the residence of his party vice president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today over the reservation scheme that, he alleges, discriminates against open merit category students of the Union Territory.
“To those who seek to exploit this issue for political gains. I welcome you to step out tomorrow and step away from rhetoric. Show your sincerity where it matters — the streets,” Mehdi said in a post on X requested all protesters to maintain civility and focus on raising genuine demands for a rational reservation policy. Mehdi was perhaps referring to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the J&K Peoples Conference (JKPC) – the two opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir.
NC is the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir with Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister
The Srinagar MP had said earlier that he will join the protest outside the CM’s residence if the issue was resolved by Sunday (December 22). “Over the past month, I’ve observed a range of reactions to the formation of the sub-committee (by the government). To those who believe that the issue remains unaddressed in a satisfactory manner, I stand by my commitment. Tomorrow, I will join the people in a peaceful and dignified attempt to demand answers on their issues from the government,” Mehdi said.
Open merit category students’ bodies have extended support to Mehdi’s protest call. “We firmly support the call for rationalising the unjust reservation policy, which is crucial for ensuring social justice and equal opportunities for all. We stand united with everyone raising genuine concerns over this critical issue,” the spokesperson of the J&K Students Association was quoted as saying in a report in the Hindu.
The issue of ‘rationalisation’ of the reservation policy has been a key debate point in Jammu and Kashmir over the last few months.
J&K Reservation Rules of 2005
It was also part of the National Conference’s election manifesto ahead of the party-led alliance’s victory in the Assembly elections earlier this year.
To those who seek to exploit this issue for political gains… Show your sincerity where it matters — the streets.
The J&K Reservation Rules of 2005 were amended this March by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration before the Omar Abdullah government was elected.
The opposition to the reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir intensified since it leaves only 40 per cent of seats for open merit. Open merit category students maintain the Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling ensures reservations could not exceed 50 per cent, and anything above it violated equal access as guaranteed by the Constitution.
Chief Minister Abdullah said in a post on X that his party (NC) had committed to examining all aspects of the reservation policy in its manifesto released before the Assembly elections. “It is as a continuation of this commitment that a Cabinet sub-committee was constituted to move towards fulfilling this promise. That sub-committee was only recently notified and is in the process of starting its work by engaging with all stakeholders,” he said.
