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| Annoying STs of Rajouri-Poonch may cost NC-Congress heavily | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Apr 10: Moments after Inter District Recruitment ban bill was declared passed in the Legislative Assembly on April 9, the coalition partners of both National Conference and Congress were seen in upbeat mood, some of them showing victory signs while facing the press gallery. The mood was in sharp contrast to the anger and anarchic atmosphere created by PDP in the House. The passage of the Bill was indeed an achievement for the government particularly in the wake of stiff resistance by opposition but the moot question remains whether the NC and Congress has really gained much out of this issue ?
If the controversial bill and its passage is to be analysed in terms of gain vs loss, both politically as well in terms of benefits to the marginalized communities, the calculations are not in much favour of the two coalition partners. As against PDP, ruling NC has a reason to feel elated for it has managed to take credit of ensuring its passage within a short span of time, something which they claim vociferously the PDP during its tenure could not do in over two years. So in terms of bagging one more credits, NC has added to its account, something which will be seen as appositive one in the long term innings of politics. Moreover, in Kashmir, which is the main constituency of NC the passage has been widely hailed. Even though PDP has been trumpeting the loss to Kashmiris in the light of 8 % reservation for SCs and would continue to play up this card to discredit its arch rival NC, the fact remains that NC has managed some overall edge on the issue.
Likewise, for Congress, the major concern they kept pressing on before passage of the Bill was the ensuring the share for SCs, which was ensured through amendments, first by J&K Panthers Party and later by the government itself by incorporating the reservation clause, a move that will augur well for the party in the areas dominated by the these communities in Jammu region. The candidates of the Scheduled caste communities from Jammu region in other words can claim their share of 8% in all districts including those of Kashmir since this population doesn't exist in any pocket of the valley. So far so good.
But gain of one community(SCs) which Congress and NC as well ensured through passage of this amendment bill is being seen as a loss to the other community of STs comprising Gujjars and Bakerwals of Jammu region. While the Gujjar and Bakerwal community predominantly residing the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch had been opposing the ban on inter district recruitments for the last few days, its passage has annoyed the communities under the ST category for reasons parent: the arrangement that provided hundreds of jobs the comparatively educated and qualified candidates of Gujjars and Bakerwals of Rajouri, Poonch in the districts of Kashmir is now shut, depriving them of the share they would get against less qualified members of their counterparts in Valley districts.
Now this annoyance of nearly 50 % population of both the communities in Rajouri and Poonch is quite obviously against the NC and Congress which they believe facililitated the passage of the Bill.Infact, there was the lone MLA of Darhal Zulfikar Chowdhary, disfavouring the ban surprisingly against the interest and concern of the party leadership which had been favouring the ban minus reservation to SCs. Even though both NC and Congress has senior leaders and vote bank of both communities in Rajouri and Poonch, none came out openly to say against the ban or ask for interests of the ST community. It is also learnt that members of both the communities have shown their anger and annoyance to these leaders and indicated that would reflect politically for both the parties. It is in this context that political pundits and analyst are viewing the entire issue as gain of one community against the other as cumulatively loss of the two allies. Now it remains to be seen what cost both NC and Congress will have to bear in panchayat elections in the two districts.
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