Gujjars opposes quota to Paharies on linguistic grounds Asks CM - TopicsExpress

Gujjars opposes quota to Paharies on linguistic grounds Asks CM to review his decision Kashmir Times , Jammu , 17th of August 2014 :The Jammu and Kashmir Gujjar Bakerwal Joint Forum – a main organisation of tribal community of the state on Sunday strongly opposed reservation to Pahari Speaking People on linguistic grounds and said it is unconstitutional, unlawful and will open a new tug of war between originally suppressed people of the State and those privileged classes who want to get reservation at any cast. The Community was reacting on State Chief Minister’s announcement for grant of 5% Reservation to Pahari Speaking People. Haji Noor ud Din Noorani , the President of the Forum while presiding a meeting of community members organised to discuss “Reservation in J&K and new Decisions” said that Language can’t be a criteria to declare a community backward and grant reservation to them .He appealed Omar Abdullah to review his decision and implement reservation policy honestly not on the bases of vote bank politics. Haji said that this is for the first time in the History of reservation in India that a 5% quota is announced on the bases of “ language” which is unfortunate and unlawful added that the Omar government were out to demolish the very basis on which the policy of reservation was conceived. The speakers on the occasion said reservation had nothing to do with the economic advancement of the beneficiary classes because it was meant to offset the discrimination that isinstitutionalised in the caste system. That is why the only criterion for reservation is caste or the area which faces discrimination. In J&K the existing setup for reservation was on Cast/Tribe and Area bases but Omar for the sake of votes entertained a linguistic group into the ambit of reservation , which is against constitution of India and Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir , the speakers said. This would not be correct as it is a fact that the Pahari speaking People in J&K are also divided into many religions , castes and classes. The backward Pahari Speaking Peoples are already getting the benefit of reservation under RBA, ALC, OSC in the States. By talking of reservation for Pahri Speaking People only on the bases of language they speak would go against the interests of existing reserved backwards, the speakers stated on occasion Charging the National Conference and Congress with trying to dilute the philosophy of reservation, the speaker asserted that the Government was not competent to declare any class as only the National Commission of Backward Classes could decide which class of citizens were backward and not adequately represented in government jobs and services and the Backward Class Commission J&K rejected the inclusion of Pahari Speaking People thrice. The Pahari Speaking People in J&K resides in J&K especially in Poonch, Rajouri, Uri and Karnah area and speaks a group of local dialects such as Hindko, Poonchi, Pothohari, Mirpuri, Kaghani and Shabeeli. They belongs to various classes and religions like Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Christens and they were demanding ST status.