Quota report sent to law dept: Oppn accuses J&K govt of delaying tactics

Hindustan Times

20-06-2025

Opposition leaders came down heavily on Jammu and Kashmir government and termed its decision of sending the reservation report to law department, calling it as delaying tactics to undermine merit.
After the cabinet meeting that was chaired by J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday evening the reservation report was sent to law department.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para on Thursday came down heavily on Jammu and Kashmir government's handling of reservation issue and said that the government cannot continue to hide behind excuses.
He said that there was no resolution despite passage of six months leaving the students heartbroken and their trust in the system shattered. 'Six months ago, the J&K government 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 in post on X.
On June 10, health minister Sakina Ittoo had said that the report of 3-membered sub committee on quota has been completed and would be submitted before the cabinet for a decision. However after a meeting of chief minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet colleagues on Wednesday, the government made no mention of what transpired about the committee report.
Para said that 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,' he said.
The PDP MLA from Pulwama said that 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. If this is their response to a pressing youth issue well within their control to solve, then what should we expect on Article 370, statehood, or the Wakf Amendment Bill, which requires them to speak truth to power?,' Para said.
The new reservation policy was introduced by lieutenant governor-led administration, before the assembly elections early last year, had squeezed the general category to 40%, which form the majority of the population, and increased reservation for reserved categories to 60%.
After the elections, there were widespread demands for reversing the policy in recruitment and admissions prompting the Omar Abdullah-led government to form a three member cabinet sub-committee on December 10.
Para said that erasing merit in Kashmir is not just a political issue but also a national security concern, given that Jammu and Kashmir is a border state where the youth are vulnerable to militancy, radicalism, and cross-border influences. 'If the Kashmiri youth are not offered hope, it will only empower subversive elements, further destabilising a generation and future. The government's inaction risks pushing these young people into a corner, forcing them to choose between studying and preparing to face the world or fighting against a system that has failed them,' he said.
In April, J&K government had defended the new reservation policy in the high court facing backlash from the students and opposition.
Para said that the government must act now. 'It cannot continue to hide behind excuses while the students' futures hang in the balance. Rationalisation of reservation and proportional representation represent the only fair path forward, and it must be implemented without further delay,' he said. 'Those claiming committee is helping students are either lying or complicit,' he said.
Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Lone said government has no idea about reservation. 'I have all along maintained that the government is clueless on reservations and has no intentions of doing anything. Now coming to this draft proposal. To the best of my knowledge anything sent to cabinet should be vetted by the law department. It is not the other way round. You can't send something to cabinet which is outside the domain of law. It looks like another round of time wasting tactics,' he wrote on X.
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari asked government to set a timeframe to resolve this issue.
'Set a clear timeline to resolve the reservation issue. With each passing day, merit continues to get undermined. Government must act swiftly and avoid any delaying tactics,' Bukhari wrote on X.
Awami Ithead Party chief spokesman Inam ul Nabi said that this is not governance—it's an elaborate circus of deceit, delay and diversion. 'The Omar Abdullah government has once again proved that its words are hollow and its promises mere gimmicks. After over six months of public build-up, backdoor committee sittings and false assurances, the so-called CSC report has not even reached the Cabinet table in any serious form. What more proof do we need of their sheer indifference towards justice for open merit candidates,' he said adding that the Cabinet's latest move to 'rework' the report a 'well-scripted betrayal'.