- Omar Abdullah faces criticism from Sajad Lone over a recent interview
- Lone accused Omar Abdullah of acting like an emperor answerable to no one in the Union Territory
- In a clip Sajad Lone has shared, Omar Abdullah is heard talking about 'open merit' vs reservation issue
Hitting out at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, People's Conference chief Sajad Lone has said the National Conference leader has "utter contempt" for contrarian views and said the Union Territory now has an "emperor".
Mr Lone was briefly the National Conference's ally in the Gupkar alliance, which was formed in 2019 to demand the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. He later left the bloc and the National Conference alleged that he had done so at the BJP's behest.
The separatist-turned-mainstream politician has posted a clip from an Omar Abdullah interview on X. In the interview, the National Conference leader explained how his government was tackling the open merit and reservation issue in Jammu and Kashmir.
"For all those who voted for NC -- just observe the arrogance. Reeks of self righteousness and utter contempt and disdain for views that are contrary," Mr Lone said in the post. "I thought we were UT. Forget 370. Forget Internal autonomy. We now have an Emperor. Who is answerable to none."
The open merit vs reservation is a tricky subject in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the current reservations in place, only about 30 per cent of seats in government jobs and professional courses are 'open merit' -- meaning unreserved and open for competition. Now, if the Omar Abdullah government wants to increase open merit seats, it must reduce the reservation for backward classes - a politically sensitive move. There is another problem. These reservations kicked in after the Centre's 2019 move, diluting Article 370 and bifurcating the erstwhile state. A question then arises on whether a Union Territory administration can revise reservations introduced by the Parliament, even if such a legislation clears the Assembly.
Earlier, Mr Lone and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti criticised Omar Abdullah over the issue. The Chief Minister hit back by saying that these leaders did not talk about reservation when they were part of the government in Jammu and Kashmir, and are now criticising the current dispensation when it is actually moving on the issue.
