Hours before the MP’s protest against his own party’s government, the NC leadership sought to reassure protesters, insisting that the government had already acted on its poll promises.
Photo: IANS
The simmering row over job reservation in Jammu and Kashmir is once again threatening to spill onto the streets on Saturday, with the ruling National Conference (NC) MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s ultimatum of a sit-in protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence if the issue is not resolved.
Hours before the MP’s protest against his own party’s government, the NC leadership sought to reassure protesters, insisting that the government had already acted on its poll promises.
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Chief spokesman of NC and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said on Friday that ”The cabinet has already decided on the reservation based on what we had promised in our poll manifesto. The rationalisation of the reservation was important, and the file has been sent to the Raj Bhavan for approval. People should approach Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to approve the reservation policy file early,” he added.
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Striking an emotional chord with protesting students and unemployed youth, Ruhullah, in a post on X, wrote, “I have neither forgotten nor left the students alone. I urge the government once again to talk to the students and apprise them of the measures and decisions taken to resolve this issue. If that does not happen till Saturday, I will not leave our youth and students helpless. I will walk with them and sit with them on this coming Sunday at the same place as we did last year on 23rd December to make them heard”.
The warning has revived memories of last year’s unprecedented protest on 23 December, when Ruhullah, along with unemployed youth and leaders from across the political spectrum, staged a sit-in outside the official residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The protest was also supported by the opposition PDP, whose MLA Waheed Para also joined Ruhullah’s sit-in. Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, supported the protest for the rationalisation of reservations.
The Omar Abdullah-led government, earlier this month, approved a new reservation framework, reportedly aimed at correcting what is widely perceived as an imbalanced quota system.
The government has sent the proposal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for approval, but the lack of clarity has kept students and several organisations on edge.
After assuming office, the Omar Abdullah government had constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee to bring fairness to the reservation policy. Following months of deliberations, the file was forwarded to the LG’s office for approval.
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