Omar Abdullah Government Faces Protest By Its Own Party MP Over Reservations

The Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir is facing protests over the delay in the rationalisation of the reservation policy, led by the party's own Member of Parliament, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi. The Srinagar MP has announced that he will join a protest with General category students in Srinagar tomorrow.

Aga Ruhullah, who has openly criticised the Chief Minister and accused him of "compromising the core party ideology," stated that he is joining the protests to demand a meaningful dialogue with stakeholders and an equitable resolution to the reservation issue in the Union Territory.

"I will not leave the students alone. If the government fails to take them into confidence and resolve the issue, I will join the protests," Aga Ruhullah said.

As per the existing reservation policy, which was invoked during direct Central rule, the General category - which constitutes approximately 70% of the population in J&K - is allotted only 40% of seats in government recruitment.

The J&K Cabinet recently moved to amend this. 

Sources indicate that under the new policy adopted by the Cabinet, 50% of jobs will now be available for the Open Merit (General) category. However, this decision requires approval from Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha. The Chief Minister stated that the file was sent to the L-G's office on December 3, but it remains pending.

Since the formation of the elected government, there has been massive unrest over the disproportionate quotas. The new policy was adopted following a year-long consultation by a Cabinet sub-committee. After the Cabinet's decision on December 3, Omar Abdullah maintained that his government had rationalised the policy in the best possible manner to ensure justice for all sections of society.

Following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, J&K's reservation rules underwent major changes. In March last year, the Centre granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Pahari-speaking people, as well as groups like the Paddari, Koli, and Gadda Brahmins. Previously, only the Gujjar and Bakerwal tribes were classified as ST with a 10% quota; with the inclusion of the new groups, the ST quota has doubled to 20%.

When combined with quotas for Scheduled Castes (SC), OBCs, EWS, residents near the Line of Control (LoC), and Residents of Backward Areas (RBA), total reservations exceeds 60%. Unlike the rest of the country, the General category in Jammu and Kashmir feels increasingly discriminated against in recruitment processes.

While the finer details of the new policy will only be known once the L-G approves the Cabinet's decision, the delay has already triggered a crisis within the ruling National Conference, as its own MP openly rebels against the government.