Days after Bills proposing reservation for different communities of Jammu and Kashmir were tabled in Parliament, people alleging “discrimination” have started staging protests.
Members of the Gujjar community, who were earlier only airing resentment against the government’s move to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Pahari community, have now hit the roads. People belonging to the community on Sunday held a protest in Reasi district, demanding that their rights be safeguarded.
The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, tabled in the Lok Sabha recently, proposes ST status for the Paharis.
Gujjars, who already enjoy the status, believe that reservation to Paharis under the category will render community youth jobless.
Anwar Choudhary, a Gujjar leader, said the protest would continue till the government withdrew the Bill proposing ST status to the Pahari community.
While the government is making efforts to placate the Gujjar community, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) refugees have now started demanding nomination on eight seats in the Legislative Assembly instead of one as proposed in Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
The Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (PoJKLF) has expressed resentment against the Bill.
Pritam Lal Sharma, convener of the PoJKLF, termed the Bill as “betrayal with the displaced community”. He demanded nomination on at least eight seats for the community instead of one.
The Bill proposes reservation on two seats for Kashmiri migrants and on one for PoJK refugees in the Legislative Assembly.
Another leader of the PoJK refugees, Rajiv Chunni, said while the Kashmiri migrants would get two seats reserved in the Assembly, the PoJK refugees, whose number is more than Kashmiri migrants, would get only one.
Chunni further said even the Delimitation Commission had recommended adequate representation to the displaced persons from PoJK, “which is understood to be at least eight Assembly seats for the community by way of nomination”, he said, adding the community would hit the roads if the demand was not met.
