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| Political reservation for Gujjar, Bakerwals and other STs | | Article 370 is the hurdle | | Neha
JAMMU, Dec 25: The tribal Gujjars and Bakerwals (all Sunni Muslims), who constitute nearly 12 per cement of the State population and are spread across Jammu and Kashmir, barring Ladakh and other Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities have been demanding political reservation since 1991, but with no result. It was in April 1991 that the then Congress-supported Chandra Shekhar Government at the Centre granted the ST status to the Gujjar and Bakerwal and other tribal communities, including Gaddis. They got the ST status after a relentless struggle and it happened at a time when the state was under the President Rule. Had there been Kashmir-controlled and Kashmiri-dominated popular rule, these communities would not have got what they got during the President Rule.
The immediate fallout of the grant of ST status to these communities was a change in the reservation policy as far as Government jobs and admission in educational and technical and professional institutions was concerned. The Government framed rules under which these communities would get reservation in these two sectors. However, these changes did not satisfy them. They also wanted political reservation which was available to their counterparts in other parts of the country. Infact, they have been putting forth such a demand since 1991.
Why are these communities not getting political reservation? The answer is simple and straight. The answer is that the Kashmiri ruling elite and its agents in Jammu have been misusing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to deprive various segments of society of their legitimate rights and perpetuate their domination over polity, economy and other vital institutions. The leadership of the Gujjar and Bakerwal communities know that it is because of Article 370 that they have failed to obtain what was their legitimate due share in the legislature. If these communities really wish to have political reservation they have to discard all those political outfits which describe them as secular, democratic and mainstream but brazenly play sectarian and Valley centric politics to remain at the helm. The NC, Congress, CPI, the CPI-M and so on are the parties which have all along betrayed the ST communities. |
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