Jammu: Soon after the formation of Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir, protests have erupted against his own party and government. National Conference leader and Lok Sabha member from Srinagar, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, staged a peaceful protest on Monday (December 23) outside the Chief Minister’s residence over the reservation policy.
On Sunday, Mehdi had announced his plan to protest peacefully against the current reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir, implemented after the abrogation of Article 370. The policy reduces reservations for the general category and increases it for reserved categories. It allocates a 10% reservation for the Pahari tribe and three other groups, raising the total reservation for Scheduled Tribes (ST) to 20%. Additionally, 8% reservation is provided for Other Backward Classes (OBC), with 15 new castes included.
In March 2023, the Administrative Council approved the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Act, 2023, which revised the reservation structure for OBCs and other categories based on the recommendations of the SEBC Commission. The policy, implemented before the electoral process, has faced strong political and social criticism.
Protesters included students, members of the National Conference (NC), and MP Ruhullah Mehdi. On Sunday, Mehdi called for a protest outside the CM’s residential office on Gupkar Road in a post on X, demanding rationality in the reservation policy. Opposition PDP leader Waheed Para, Iltija Mufti, and Awami Ittehad Party leader Sheikh Khurshid (brother of Engineer Rashid) also joined the protest. Moreover, Abdullah’s own son participated alongside Mehdi and students, expressing solidarity with the demonstrators.
NC MP Ruhullah Mehdi stated, “I have been informed that there is some confusion regarding the division of work between the elected government and other undemocratically imposed offices, and this issue is one of them. I trust the government will soon decide to rationalize the policy.”
On December 10, the J&K government formed a three-member panel to review the reservation policy. The panel comprises Health Minister Sakina Ittoo, Forest Minister Javed Ahmad Rana, and Science and Technology Minister Satish Sharma. No deadline has been set for the committee to submit its report. Two days later, the J&K High Court, while hearing a fresh petition challenging the reservation policy, directed the government to respond within three weeks.
On Sunday, CM Omar Abdullah stated that his government had constituted a committee to review the reservation policy but would adhere to the directions of the court in this matter. Abdullah reaffirmed that his party, JKNC, is fully committed to reviewing all aspects of its manifesto. He emphasized that the policy has been challenged in the High Court, and his government will abide by any decisions taken after exhausting all legal options.
The Chief Minister further remarked, “I am aware that protests against the reservation policy are being planned in Srinagar. Peaceful protest is a democratic right, and I will be the last person to deprive anyone of this right. However, protest knowing that this issue has neither been ignored nor suppressed.” He assured the public that everyone’s concerns would
