Tug of war over reservation policy puts Omar Abdullah govt in tight spot

Srinagar: The ongoing tug-of-war over the reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir has become a significant political challenge for the Omar Abdullah-led government, barely five months into its tenure.

The controversy surrounding the reservation framework has caused political unrest, particularly within the ruling National Conference (NC), placing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a difficult position.

The issue gained fresh traction on Saturday, when Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was forced to clarify the timeline for a Cabinet Sub-Committee, which was formed on November 22, 2024, to assess and ensure the fairness of the reservation policy. Initially, the committee’s mandate lacked a clear deadline, leading to mounting pressure from politicians both within and outside the ruling coalition.

In response to a social media post from NC Member of Parliament (MP) Aga Ruhullah, the Chief Minister clarified that the committee had been given a six-month deadline to complete its review of the reservation framework. He explained that this timeline was set after a meeting with a group of job aspirants.

“This timeline, however, was not in the initial order setting up the sub-committee. That oversight will be corrected but rest-assured the committee is working to complete its task in the set timeframe,” he posted on X.

Earlier, Ruhullah had criticized the absence of a deadline, calling it a betrayal of students’ trust, while People’s Conference chairman and MLA Sajjad Lone argued that the reservation system was “rigged against the Kashmiri-speaking population.”

The reservation policy, introduced after the revocation of Article 370 at the BJP’s behest, affects quotas for government jobs and educational institutions.

The revised policy has reduced reservations for open merit (general category) from 57% to 33%, while the quota for Residents of Backward Areas (RBA) has been cut from 20% to 10%. In contrast, the share for Scheduled Tribes (ST) has doubled from 10% to 20%, and reservations for Socially Backward Castes (SBC) have increased from 2% to 8%. Additionally, the quotas for people living near the Line of Actual Control (ALC) and the Physically Challenged (PHC) have been slightly increased from 3% to 4%.

The policy also introduces new reservation categories, including 3% for children of defence personnel, 1% for children of police personnel, and 2% for achievers in sports.

Kashmir-based political parties argue that reservations should be based on fairness, without disadvantaging those who currently do not benefit from quotas.

In an interesting turn, the BJP’s efforts to capitalize on these developments for electoral gains fell short. The party failed to secure a single assembly seat in either the Gujjar-Bakarwal or Pahari assembly segments during the September-October 2024 elections.